Appeals court grants stay of Padang Serai MP's sedition trial

PUTRAJAYA: The sedition trial of Padang Serai Member of Parliament N. Surendran (pix) that had been fixed for next week will not proceed pending disposal of his appeal in regards to a sedition charge.
Surendran, 50, obtained an order from the Court of Appeal today to stay his sedition trial at the Sessions Court in Kuala Lumpur which was to commence for three days from July 20.
A three-member panel comprising Datuk Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, Datuk Seri Zakaria Sam and Datuk Zamani A. Rahim granted the order after allowing his application for a stay, pending disposal of two appeals relating to his sedition charge at the Appeal Court.
Surendran, who is also PKR vice-president and a lawyer by profession, is facing a charge of uttering seditious remarks relating to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's second sodomy case at the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya between 2pm and 4pm on Aug 8, 2014.
The remarks were allegedly video-recorded and uploaded on YouTube.
He was charged under Section 4(1)(b) of the Sedition Act 1948, which provides for imprisonment of up to three years or a maximum fine of RM5,000, or both, upon conviction.
The two pending appeals pertained to the High Court's refusal to refer constitutional questions of his sedition case to the Federal Court, and on the High Court's dismissal of his application to strike out the charge.
Surendran was represented by lawyers, Datuk S. Ambiga and Latheefa Koya while the prosecution, by DPP Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin. — Bernama