KUALA LUMPUR, May 9 — The National Registration Department (NRD) has formally withdrawn its appeal against a court judgment ordering it to remove “Islam” from a Sarawakian Christian’s identification card, the latter’s lawyer said.

Chua Kuan Ching, the lawyer who acted for Roneey Rebit, said her client will make a fresh application soon at the NRD to have his name and religious status in the official registry amended.

“The next step, we will be applying to JPN based on the High Court order and order of no objection and notice of withdrawal,” she told Malay Mail Online when contacted today, referring to the NRD by its Malay initials.

A new Mykad will be issued to Roneey when the details in the NRD’s registry records are amended, she said.

Chua said she had received via email the notice of withdrawal of appeal from the NRD’s lawyer when it was filed on May 3, as well as a hard copy of the notice the following day.

In the May 3 notice of withdrawal sighted by Malay Mail Online, senior federal counsel Leo Saga wrote: “Take Notice that the Director-General of National Registration Department, Malaysia the appellant abovenamed wholly discontinue this appeal against the Respondent with no order as to costs.”

NRD’s withdrawal notice was filed a day after Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem said he had received Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s assurance that the department would end its appeal.

NRD had filed its appeal on April 22, while the three other respondents in Roneey’s case – the Sarawak Islamic Religious Department’s (Jais) director, the Sarawak Islamic Council (Mais) and the Sarawak state government – did not follow suit.

Roneey’s case made national headlines on March 24, when the Kuching High Court recognised his constitutional right as an adult to choose his religion and ordered the NRD to issue him a new Mykad without the word “Islam” and with his name at birth restored.

Roneey, now 41, had said he was converted at eight years old by his Christian-turned-Muslim parents. His mother’s conversion certificate showed he was converted at the age of 10.

In the landmark ruling, Kuching High Court judge Datuk Yew Jen Kie noted that Roneey was brought up in a Christian Bidayuh community since birth, had never practised Islam and had embraced Christianity.

In granting all three specific orders sought by Roneey in a December 8, 2014 judicial review application, the High Court judge declared that the Bidayuh man is a Christian, ordering the NRD to amend his Muslim name and his religious status in his Mykad and the national registry to Christianity.

A fourth order sought by Roneey was previously granted last June 12, where the High Court ordered the two Islamic bodies to issue him a letter of release from Islam and to forward it to his lawyers. It was a consent order which both Islamic bodies did not object to.

In the same consent order, the High Court had also allowed Roneey’s judicial review bid against Jais, Mais and the Sarawak government.

Chua confirmed today that Roneey’s law firm has yet to receive the letter from Jais.