GEORGE TOWN: DAP national chairman Karpal Singh is determined to go all out to defend himself at the hearing of the prosecution's appeal against his acquittal from sedition charge.
Solicitor-General Idrus Harun has filed an appeal last week against the High Court decision on June 11 to acquit Karpal Singh from a sedition charge.
Deliberating on the appeal, Karpal conceded that it was within the prosecution's right to appeal against the decision made by High Court Judge Azman Abdullah.
However, he insisted that he was unperturbed by the appeal.
“I will defend myself with all might and power at my command in the hearing (of the appeal),” he said in a statement today.
In delivering his five and half pages of judgment, Judge Azman ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove its sedition case against Karpal under Section 3(1) of the Sedition Act 1948.
He said the prosecution had failed to prove any ingredients, which could lead to the tendency to incite, hatred, insult, or disloyalty to the Ruler.
Karpal was charged with uttering seditious words against the Sultan of Perak during a press conference at his legal firm office in Jalan Pudu Lama in Kuala Lumpur between 12 and 12.30 noon on Feb 6 last year.
The veteran parliamentarian was alleged to have said the removal of Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin as Perak Menteri Besar by Sultan Azlan Shah could be questioned in the court of law.
The judge ruled that what Karpal said during the press conference fell within the exception in Section 3(2)(a) of the Sedition Act, which stated that it is not seditious to show that any Ruler has been misled or mistaken in any of his measures, nor it is seditious to point out errors of defects in the government or Constitution, as by law established.
In his immediate response to his acquittal, Bukit Gelugor MP Karpal has said that the judgment made it clear that a Ruler can be taken to court.
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