SHAH ALAM, Feb 26 — A factory operator was charged in the Magistrate’s Court here today with uploading a post that insulted Prophet Muhammad PBUH using the Facebook application last week.

A. Taneson, 22, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge before Magistrate Rini Triany Muhamad Ali.

He was charged with uploading the posting on his Facebook account, with the profile name  "Sarkar Tanesan”, at about 11.40am last Feb 19.

The charge was made under Section 298 A (1) of the Penal Code for causing disharmony, disunity or feelings of enmity, hatred and ill-will on grounds of religion among the people of different religions in the country, which provides an imprisonment of up to five years, if found guilty.

Deputy public prosecutor Mohd Fairuz Johari, who prosecuted, did not offer bail as the offence was non-bailable.

However, lawyer Kailashii Vasudevan Appu, representing Taneson, requested bail on grounds that his client had mental problems and for him to be sent to hospital for observation.

Rini Triany then set bail at RM8,000 in one surety and ordered Taneson to report himself at the nearest police station every two weeks.

The court set April 5 for mention. — Bernama