KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court today rejected a Sabah church’s bid to find out why the government banned the word “Allah” in non-Muslims’ publications, saying such government information is classified under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) 1972. Lawyer Annou Xavier, who represented the Sidang Injil Borneo (SIB) Sabah church, confirmed that the court had dismissed his…
KUALA LUMPUR: Dance producer Bilqis Hijjas who was accused of “insulting behaviour” for dropping yellow balloons at a 2015 event attended by the prime minister and his wife has been ordered to enter her defence in court. High Court judge Datuk Indera Mohd Sofian Abd Razak today reversed the dance producer’s acquittal and sent her…
PETALING JAYA: The suspects in the tahfiz fire case cannot be tried as adults, said Bar Council president George Varughese. He told theSun that under the Child Act, anyone below 18, will be regarded as a child. “The Child Act bars the sentence of death, if one has committed an offence whereby the death penalty can be…
PUTRAJAYA: Former Malaysian Bar president Datuk S. Ambiga loses her bid to obtain the green light from the Federal Court to appeal over the Sabah State Immigration Department’s decision to ban her from entering Sabah in November 2014. Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Ahmad Maarop, chairing the Federal Court three-man bench, unanimously dismissed Ambiga’s…
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian authorities scrapped an annual beer festival on Monday (Sep 18) after an Islamist party objected to the event that had been planned for the first weekend of October in the country’s capital. Though there are plenty of beer drinkers among the sizable Chinese and Indian minorities, protests against events deemed to be…
PUTRAJAYA: The Federal Court will hear appeals brought by parents in three separate cases if stateless children could be accorded citizenship. This follows a decision by the Federal Court’s three-man bench today, to allow leave sought by the parents of children who were born in Malaysia but could not be granted citizenship to proceed with their…
PUTRAJAYA: Rohingya fleeing persecution from Rakhine state in Myanmar will be permitted entry into Malaysia but the Immigration Department would still need to distinguish between genuine refugees and economic migrants. “The influx will happen, and Malaysia is one of the refugees’ destinations. I want to emphasise that we will follow whatever policy decisions made by…
PETALING JAYA: What is your constitutional right to gender equality worth? Or should damages be even awarded for a breach of a constitutional right for the repudiation of a contract? These crucial questions, arising from a landmark case on gender discrimination, will be determined by the Federal Court soon. On Thursday, the highest court in…
KUALA LUMPUR: Challenge us in court if procedures on handcuffs and lock-up uniforms are unlawful, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Datuk Dzulkifli Ahmad said. Defending the move of MACC enforcement officers on their “discretion”, Dzulkifli said all procedures are within the law. “If it is unconstitutional then go to court and challenge us. “We…
KUALA LUMPUR: Two women activists were questioned at the Dang Wangi police headquarters as part of an investigation into a peaceful assembly which took place in November last year. The activists, Ivy Josiah and All Women’s Action Society (Awam) former president Ho Yock Lin were questioned for three hours since 2pm. Lawyers Honey Tan Lay Ean…
KUALA LUMPUR: Some Malay atheists in Malaysia are worried and fearful – in recent days there was a call by a minister “to track them down” while a Muslim cleric issued a reminder that the penalty for apostasy under Islam is “death”. “I am worried. I have already accepted that something might happen to me…
PUTRAJAYA: The Federal Court today ruled that a notice issued to two lawyers by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), cannot be challenged in court. The court found that the issuance of the notice of investigation dated March 19, 2012, by MACC under section 30 (1) (a) of the MACC Act, is not amenable by a…
PUTRAJAYA: The Federal Court on Wednesday ruled that the Edge Communications Sdn Bhd could claim for damages from the Home Minister for loss incurred over the three-months suspension of two of its publications in 2015. In making the ruling, the court dismissed an appeal by the Home Minister and the Home Ministry secretary-general to set…
KUALA LUMPUR: Activists and authors in Muslim-majority Malaysia reacted with outrage Tuesday after authorities banned a book aimed at promoting moderate Islam, as concerns mount about growing conservatism. The book, “Breaking The Silence: Voices Of Moderation — Islam In A Constitutional Democracy“, is a collection of essays whose publication was organised by a group of…
KUALA LUMPUR: A Muslim child conceived out of wedlock can now take his or her father’s surname following the Court of Appeal’s latest landmark decision. The appellate court ruled that the National Registration Department (NRD) director-general is not bound by a fatwa or religious edict issued by the National Fatwa Committee to decide on the…