JOHOR BARU: An elderly man who allegedly slapped a non-Muslim man for eating in public during Ramadan on Sunday has been granted a discharge not amounting to acquittal (DNAA) by the Johor Bahru Magistrates’ Court today.
Magistrate A. Shaarmini made the decision after Deputy Public Prosecutor Nur Fatihah Mohd Nizam announced that she had received an order to refer the investigation papers back to the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) in Putrajaya.
Earlier, the 65-year-old accused Abdul Razak Ismail had pleaded guilty as soon as the charge was read out before Shaarmini.
The retiree was charged with intentionally causing injury to a 21-year-old man at the premises of a convenience store in a shopping mall here at about 3.45pm last Sunday.
Abdul Razak was charged for voluntarily causing hurt, that was framed under Section 323 of the Penal Code. The offense is punishable with up to two years’ imprisonment, a maximum fine of RM2,000, or both, upon conviction.
Based on the facts of the case, the incident occurred when the accused slapped the victim’s right cheek.
The health officer who examined the victim confirmed that he had a bruise on his right cheek.
Abdul Razak, who initially pleaded guilty, later disputed the case facts read out to the court.
Shaarmini then rejected his guilty plea and ordered him to enter his defence.
However, when Nur Fatihah was arguing to set the accused’s bail, she received new instructions from the AGC which ordered the case to be classified as DNAA.
She then informed the court that the case would be re-charged after the AGC reviewed the investigation papers in Putrajaya.
Earlier, Abdul Razak appeared in court at 8.52am accompanied by his son.
Last Sunday, a video on the X (formerly Twitter) social media platform was widely shared showing a non-Muslim man being reprimanded by an elderly man for allegedly eating openly during Ramadan at the Angsana Shopping Mall in Tampoi here.
Tensions arose during the footage when the senior citizen asked the man to show his MyKad identity card as prove that he was not a Muslim.
The man, who refused to show his identity card, later claimed to have been scolded by the elderly man, who then slapped him several times.
