Preacher, activist claim trial to public mischief charges

 Zamri Vinoth and Arun Dorasamy are accused of committing the offences via posts on Facebook and Instagram.

Preacher Zamri Vinoth (left) and activist Arun Dorasamy are both charged with making statements conducive to public mischief.

PETALING JAYA:

 Independent preacher Zamri Vinoth and activist Arun Dorasamy were charged in separate courts today with making statements allegedly conducive to public mischief.

Zamri, 41, pleaded not guilty in the Kuala Lumpur magistrates’ court to a charge under Section 505(b) of the Penal Code after it was read out before magistrate Faezahnoor Hassan.

He is accused of making a Facebook post on Feb 3 that could incite fear or alarm among the public in relation to a gathering involving “illegal temples”.

Section 505(b) of the Penal Code criminalises statements made with the intent to cause fear or alarm to the public and carries a penalty of up to two years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both.

The court set bail at RM4,500 with one surety and ordered Zamri to surrender his passport pending disposal of the case. It also fixed April 29 for case mention.

Deputy public prosecutor Nordin Ismail earlier proposed bail of RM10,000, but Zamri’s lawyer, Hariz Yusoff, requested a lower amount, saying his client had fully cooperated with investigators and had never attempted to flee.

Hariz also produced a letter from the Songkhla Islamic Religious Council, stating that Zamri was in Songkhla, Thailand, from March 9 to 12 to manage marriage arrangements for couples.

“My client was involved in managing marriages in cooperation between the Songkhla Islamic Religious Council and the Perlis Islamic Religious Council,” he said.

The lawyer also told the court that his client has been running a bundle business in Thailand since 2022 and supports eight children, his wife who suffers from long Covid, and his parents in Seremban.

Arun meanwhile claimed trial at the magistrates’ court in Jawi, Penang, to a similar charge under the same section.

The 56-year-old, whose real name is Arumugam Dorasamy, is accused of making the offending statement in a video posted on his Instagram account, @arun_dorasamy, at about 3.45pm on March 12 last year at Ikea Batu Kawan, Penang.

Deputy public prosecutors Nazran Sham and Airina Syazreen Zainurin asked for bail of RM5,000 with one surety.

Magistrate Nurul Ainna Ahmad granted the request and fixed June 22 for the handover of documents.

Arun, who posted bail, was represented by lawyers T Gunaseelan, Balwant Singh Purba and Dickson Eng. - FMT