Harapan to cite ROS for contempt

Pakatan Harapan informed the High Court in Kuala Lumpur today that it will file an application for leave to initiate contempt proceedings against the Registrar of Societies (ROS).

The alleged act of contempt, alleged the coalition's counsel Gobind Singh Deo, involves the ROS' provisional dissolution order against Harapan component member Bersatu.

ROS' announcement on Bersatu's fate took place two hours before the court was about to hear a case on Harapan's suit against the ROS on its application to be formally registered as a coalition.

Gobind said the ROS knew this proceeding was about to take place.

The ROS action, he said, was a disruption of the administration of justice as, despite the case being before the court today, they made a decision which prejudiced Harapan.

"The conduct of the ROS amounts to an interference.

"Hence, we applied for a short adjournment to file the necessary papers for leave to cite the ROS for contempt," Gobind (below) said.

Justice Azizah Nawawi allowed the necessary adjournment to April 11 for pre-trial proceedings for the parties to file the necessary documents.

It was previously reported that Justice Azizah had on March 1 granted Harapan leave when the court rejected the preliminary objection by the Attorney-General's Chambers and ruled that two matters be decided by the court.

The first is whether it can give an order of mandamus to compel the ROS to respond to Harapan's registration based on the application made on July 28 last year.

Alternatively, for the ROS to register Harapan pursuant to their application.

As leave was granted, today had been fixed for the hearing.

However, the ROS today sent a letter to Bersatu informing them of their provisional dissolution and that the party has 30 days from today to appeal.

Today's court proceeding was also attended by DAP chairperson Tan Kok Wai and Pakatan Harapan secretary Saifuddin Abdullah.

Lawyer Haniff Khatri Abdulla who was part of the Harapan legal team told reporters outside court that Bersatu had complied with all requirements when it sent its response on March 29 after given 30 days to respond to a ROS letter dated Feb 28. - Mkini