Ruling on Seksualiti Merdeka on March 1

The New Straits Times

KUALA LUMPUR: The government is challenging a judicial review leave application by the organising committee of Seksualiti Merdeka, who claimed that the banning of the event in November last year was illegal.

Senior federal counsel Noor Hisham Ismail said he submitted to High Court judge Datuk Rohana Yusuf in chambers yesterday that the application had become academic.

Lawyer Honey Tan, who representing  the applicants, however, disagreed, saying it was not clear how long the ban was effective.

The applicants are  members of the Seksualiti Merdeka organising committee.  They are Pang Khee Teik, 38, Angela Marianne Kuga Thas, 48, Thilaga Socky Pillai Sulathireh, 25, Siti Zabedah Kasim, 49, and Md Nor Ismat Selamat, 29.

 The court has set March 1 to deliver its decision on the leave application.

The applicants stated that deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Khalid Abu Bakar had acted illegally when he banned all functions and events relating to Seksualiti Merdeka on Nov 3.

They also alleged that the ban directly affected the Constitutional rights guaranteed to all Malaysians.

They  added that they were not given an opportunity to be heard  before Khalid announced the ban.

In the application, they named Khalid, Dang Wangi deputy police chief Superintendent Nor Azman Muhammad Yusuf and the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar, as respondents.