Court reschedules Seafield temple task force's appeal hearing

The hearing of three matters before the Court of Appeal relating to the Save Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Temple Task Force's bid to hold a watching brief at the inquest of deceased firefighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim has been rescheduled to April 15.

A three-member panel led by Justice Umi Kalthum Abdul Majid fixed the new hearing date after allowing the task force's counsel application for adjournment of the hearing.

Lawyer M Visvanathan, representing the task force, told the court that he wanted to file an affidavit-in-reply to the Attorney-General's Chambers' affidavit which was served yesterday.

Deputy public prosecutor Hamdan Hamzah did not object to the adjournment request.

The two other judges presiding on the panel were Stephen Chung Hian Guan and Lau Bee Lan.

The three matters are: 

• The temple task force's application to stay the inquest pending hearing of its appeal against the dismissal of its application to hold a watching brief at the inquest;
• The application by the Attorney-General to strike out the temple task force's appeal; and
• The task force's appeal against the dismissal of its application to hold a watching brief at the inquest.

On Jan 31, Coroner Rofiah Mohamad rejected the task force's application as an interested party in the inquest on the grounds that it has no clear, substantive and reasonable interest.

Adib, who was a member of the Subang Jaya Fire and Rescue Station Emergency Medical Rescue Services (EMRS), was seriously injured during a riot in the vicinity of the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Temple on November 27 last year.

He died at the National Heart Institute on Dec 17.

Responding to the media's question on whether the appeal would become academic as the inquest is almost over, Visvanathan said the task force could apply for a revision, in the event the Court of Appeal ruled in thier favour and allow them to be an interested party in the inquest.

- Bernama