KUALA LUMPUR: The Sessions Court here yesterday allowed an application by Universiti Malaya (UM) law lecturer Associate Professor Dr Azmi Sharom to transfer his sedition case to the High Court.
Judge Zanol Rashid Hussain made the decision after studying Azmi’s application for the court to refer to the High Court to determine the constitutionality of Section 49(1) of the Sedition Act 1948.
In allowing the application, he also allowed for the case to be postponed pending a decision on the matter by the High Court.
He then set Nov 7 for mention of the case.
In the application filed on Sept 17, Azmi also asked for the charges against him to be stayed and/or struck out.
On Sept 2, Azmi had pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court to a charge of using seditious words over the Perak 2009 crisis.
He was alleged to have committed the offence at the Kuala Lumpur Police Contingent headquarters in Jalan Hang Tuah at 12.30 pm on Aug 12.
Azmi, who is UM Academic Staff Association president, also pleaded not guilty to an alternative charge of publishing the seditious words over the same crisis at the same time and place.
The charges were made under Section 4(1)(b) and Section 4(1)(c) of the Sedition Act 1948, respectively, and punishable with a fine of up to RM5,000 or a jail term of up to three years, or both, if convicted.
The prosecution was represented by deputy public prosecutor Suhaimi Ibrahim, while lawyer Gobind Singh Deo represented Azmi. — Bernama