Police monitoring public reaction to Kelantan shariah laws nullification
Published on: Wednesday, February 14, 2024
By:
FMT, Faisal Asyraf
Home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said he believed the public will be able to evaluate the Federal Court’s ruling objectively. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA: Police are continually monitoring the public’s reaction to last Friday’s Federal Court ruling which saw several provisions struck down in a Kelantan state shariah enactment.
Home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain had assured him that police were continuously monitoring “overzealous reactions” to the controversial case and would take action if needed.
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“If we detect overzealous reactions and there are complaints about it, the existing (race, religion and royalty) task force at Bukit Aman will immediately open a probe,” Saifuddin told the media after a monthly gathering at the home ministry here.
He said the task force would complete the investigation paper within seven days before submitting it to the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
Saifuddin believed the public would be able to “evaluate the issue objectively” despite claims that the Federal Court’s ruling challenged Islam and the country’s shariah courts.
Last Friday, the apex court struck down 16 provisions in the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code (I) Enactment 2019 as they were unconstitutional.
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Announcing the 8-1 majority decision, Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat said the state assembly had no power to pass the provisions as part of the enactment as the offences in question were covered under federal law.
The lawyer who filed the challenge to the enactment, Nik Elin Zurina Nik Abdul Rashid, previously claimed that she received death threats.
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Kuala Lumpur police today said they had identified three owners of social media accounts that allegedly threatened Nik Elin and have opened three investigation papers.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Allaudeen Abdul Majid said one investigation paper had been handed over to the deputy public prosecutor for further action while the other two reports were still being investigated.
Earlier, in his speech today, Saifuddin said the ministry would engage legal stakeholders this evening to discuss the striking down of two sections of the Prevention of Crime Act (better known as Poca).
In a April 2022 ruling, a five-member bench chaired by Tengku Maimun said Sections 4 and 15B of Poca intruded into the judicial domain and therefore violated the doctrine of separation of powers.
Section 4 lays down the procedures for magistrates for the granting of remand orders to the police while Section 15B, which is an ouster clause, restricts judges from inquiring into the grounds for detention.
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