Court allows religious councils to be interveners in Herald case

Tuesday, 04 August 2009
©The Sun (source)

KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 3, 2009): The High Court today allowed Islamic religious councils from seven states and the Federal Territory, together with the Malaysian Chinese Muslim Association, to be interveners in a judicial review case on the use of the word "Allah" in the Catholic newsletter Herald.

However, High Court judge Datuk Lau Bee Lan, who made the decision in her chambers today, did not allow Majlis Gurdwara Malaysia to be an intervener.

In their application, the religious councils had argued that they had legal interest as they are advisers to the head of state, Sultan or Yang di-Pertua of the states. The MalaysianChinese Muslim Association had also argued that it had legal interest.

Majlis Gurdwara's lawyer, Balwant Singh Sidhu, said he will discuss with his client whether to appeal or not.

The case is fixed on Aug 25 for preliminary points to be raised by the interveners on the issue of non-justiciability.

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