KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 26 — Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) leader S. Arutchelvan has asked the Attorney-General to drop a sedition charge against him for remarks issued online over Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy conviction.

Arutchelvan’s lawyer New Sin Yew said today that the letter of representation was sent to the Attorney-General last Friday.

“In our representation letter, we gave our reasons — that the statement was a political party’s statement, Arul did not do it in his personal capacity and it’s a fair comment, and that the CJ himself had said welcome criticism of the judiciary as long as it is done in a proper manner,” he told Malay Mail Online when met at the court complex here.

He confirmed that the application was made to seek the dropping of the sedition charge and an alternative charge against Arutchelvan, who had made the Facebook statement as the then PSM secretary-general.

Arutchelvan’s case will come up again for mention before Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court judge Amernudin Ahmad on March 4.

Last November 23, Arutchelvan, now a PSM central committee member, was charged with sedition over his February statement calling the Federal Court’s decision in Anwar’s second sodomy case a “political judgment”.

He claimed trial to the alleged offence under Section 4(1)(c) of the Sedition Act, which comes with a maximum fine of RM5,000 or a maximum jail term of three years or both for first-time offenders.

Arutchelvan, popularly known as Arul, also claimed trial to an alternative charge under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 for allegedly posting a statement on Facebook with the intention to injure the feelings of others.

Those convicted under Section 233 face a maximum fine of RM50,000 or a maximum one-year jail term or both, with a further fine of RM1,000 for each day where the offence is continued after conviction.

Both offences were said to have been committed last February 12 at around 12pm at the D5 Legal Investigation Division office at the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters.

Last February 10, the Federal Court upheld the Court of Appeal’s conviction of Anwar for sodomising his former political aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, also retaining a five-year jail sentence.