Court allows Perkasa to participate in suit against Zakir Naik

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court, here, allowed Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali to be a party in the civil suit filed by 19 Malaysians against controversial Islamic preacher Dr Zakir Naik.
High Court judge Kamaludin Md Said granted the application by Ibrahim to intervene in the civil proceedings after neither prosecution nor defendant objected the application to intervene.
Following proceedings in chambers, Ibrahim's lawyer Adnan Seman told reporters Kamaludin allowed the application after hearing that Perkasa, as an NGO which is obliged to protect Islam as the religion of the federation, has locus standi to intervene in the matter.
According to federal counsel Haryati Ahmad, the judge set July 20 for case management as well as also set June 13 for the intervener and defendants in the suit to reply to the affidavit-in-support filed by the 19 Malaysians.
In the legal action filed on March 1, the plaintiffs sued the Government and four others to get a declaration that Dr Zakir is among others, a threat to public order, national unity and peace.
The plaintiffs included Hindraf chairman P. Waytha Moorthy, activist Dr Lim Teck Ghee, Sabah STAR (Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku) president Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan and lawyer Siti Zabedah Kassim.
The group, led by Waytha Moorthy, is among others seeking a court order to ban Zakir from entering Malaysia and to immediately arrest and deport him if he remains in the country.
The plaintiffs have named Deputy Prime Minister cum Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, the Immigration Department director-general, the National Registration Department director-general, IGP and the Government as defendants.