A 21-year-old undergraduate from Universiti Malaysia Pahang Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA) pleaded not guilty at the Kuantan Sessions Court today to two charges linked to the alleged desecration of the Quran and the circulation of an offensive image on social media.
S. Vikneswaran made the plea before Judge Harmi Thamri Mohammad after both charges were formally read out in court.
The first charge alleges that the accused intentionally insulted Islam by stepping on a copy of the Quran, an act said to have been committed at about 1.30 pm on Feb 22 at a residence in Taman Seri Mahkota Aman. The prosecution contends that the act was carried out with the intention of dishonouring a sacred object of the religion.
He was charged under Section 295 of the Penal Code, which provides for a maximum sentence of two years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both upon conviction.
In a separate charge, the accused is alleged to have uploaded content deemed grossly offensive to social media platforms with intent to cause hurt to others. The offence falls under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, which carries a penalty of up to RM500,000 in fines, imprisonment not exceeding two years, or both, if convicted.
State Prosecution Director Shahrizat Ismail urged the court to impose bail of RM50,000 for both charges, citing the seriousness of the case and the public unease it has generated.
Defence counsel Muhammad Amirull Afiqq Mohamad Lokman, however, sought a lower bail sum of RM10,000, telling the court that his client remains a student and is financially dependent on his father. He said the accused’s 59-year-old father earns about RM5,000 monthly as a fish breeder and is the sole breadwinner for the family.
The court allowed bail of RM5,000 for each charge with one surety and ordered the accused to report to the Jaya Gading police station once a month.
The court fixed April 8 for case mention.
Outside the courtroom, the defence lawyer also addressed speculation regarding the accused’s religious status, saying that neither the accused nor his family had confirmed any conversion as alleged by certain quarters.
-THE MALAYSIA VOICE
