April 25 date for Sri Muda assemblyman's sedition case
The assemblyman arrived in court clad in the official State assembly attire as he had come straight from attending the opening of the State Assembly by the Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.
Earlier in court, Shuhaimi's lawyer, counsel Edmund Bon, explained his client's absence and application Shuhaimi had made to defer his case to the afternoon.
Deputy public prosecutor (DPP) Hanafiah Zakaria, however, then applied for a warrant of arrest against Shuhaimi, which was opposed by Bon.
Bon then asked for a short postponement for his client to turn up as the State Assembly was located adjacent to the court complex.
To this, DPP Ishak Yusof asked for a 30-minute stand down, which was granted by judge Slamat Yahya.
Shuhaimi turned up in court about 10 minutes later.
The accused wanted to explain his delay to the court but Slamat told him that would not be necessary as he had not made any decision on the arrest warrant.
When proceedings resumed, Shuhaimi was read the charge against him and claimed trial.
He is charged with posting an allegedly seditious article in his blog, srimuda.blogspot.com, on the appointment of Datuk Mohd Khusrin Munawi as the new Selangor State Secretary on Dec 30 last year.
The alleged offence was committed at Pusat Khidmat Rakyat, 6/2, Jalan Anggerik Vanilla, R 31/R, Kota Kemuning, Shah Alam.
He was charged under Section 4(1) (c) of the Sedition Act 1948, which carries a fine not exceeding RM5,000 or imprisonment of up to three years, or both, upon conviction.
If convicted, Shuhaimi also risks losing his seat. Bon then asked the court to fix another date as he wished to file an application at the High Court to strike out the charge against Shuhaimi on the basis that the Sedition Act was unconstitutional.
Slamat then fixed April 25 for remention of the case.
READ: Opposing views on whether Selangor government should help Shuhaimi
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