Perlis Mufti wins defamation suit, awarded RM150,000 damages

SHAH ALAM: The Sessions Court here today ordered activist T. Arunakirinathan to pay damages of RM150,000 to the Mufti of Perlis Datuk Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin in regards to the defamatory statement he made against the mufti on Facebook three years ago.

Judge Datuk Ishak Bakri also ordered Arunakirinathan to pay cost of RM20,000 to Mohd Asri and interest of five per cent a year starting from the date the suit was filed until the case was solved.

Media received the information on the case from the court’s e-filing website and from Mohd Asri’s lawyer, Meor Amir Meor Omar Baki. Arunakirinathan was represented by lawyer S. Dyna Sri.

Ishak, in his judgment also ordered Arunakirinathan to publish a public apology to Mohd Asri in the newspapers of the mufti’s choice, as well as on his two Facebook accounts, and retract the two defamatory statements or any other postings which directly or indirectly referred to Mohd Asri.

The court also granted a permanent injunction to restraint Arunakirinathan from uttering, publishing or causing the publication of any defamatory statements against Mohd Asri, verbally or in writing.

On Feb 25, 2019, Mohd Asri filed the defamatory suit against Arunakirinathan over the latter’s Facebook postings on Nov 26 and 27, 2018, which among others claimed that Mohd Asri wanted to destroy temples and was involved in the kidnapping of a pastor.

-- BERNAMA