PUTRAJAYA: The 10 supporters of the outlawed Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) who were arrested for gathering outside the prime minister's office on Thursday face a maximum five years' imprisonment if convicted under the Societies Act 1966.
Under Section 48 of the Act, those convicted could also be slapped with a maximum fine of RM15,000.
The 10 were produced yesterday before magistrate Nurdiana Mohd Nazir who allowed police to detain them up to tomorrow to carry out investigations.
Earlier, investigating officer ASP Rajali Agong applied to the court for a 14-day remand order to enable police to find out the motives of the assembly and who the organisers were.
However, counsel Amer Hamzah Arshad informed the court that amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code only allowed a magistrate to allow a maximum seven-day detention if the offence investigated was punishable with a jail term of up to 14 years.
Amer, instead, applied that they be freed on police bail pending investigation.
He also argued that the 10 be released on bail as Deepavali was on Monday.
During the remand hearing, one of the female detainees fainted while explaining the conditions of the lock-up to the magistrate. She was rushed to Putrajaya Hospital.
N. Surendran, a lawyer who appeared with Amer, said the detainee was a diabetic and her legs had swollen as she had been unable to obtain insulin since her detention.
Another male detainee, was also admitted to Putrajaya Hospital on Thursday night, due to medical complications.
Surendran said the 10 detainees and a six-year-old girl had gone to the prime minister's office to hand over a memorandum, seeking the release of all Internal Security Act detainees and to invite Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to their Deepavali open house.
Police released the girl last night but she chose to remain with her mother who was also detained.
The girl was handed over to a family member outside the court.
- nst
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