SHAH ALAM, Nov 25 — The High Court here fixed December 12 to hear the appeal application by Attorney General Tan Sri Tommy Thomas on the committal proceedings filed by the father of firefighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim against him on July 16.

Judge Datuk Meor Hashimi Abd Hamid also ordered both the plaintiff and defendant to present their arguments in court before December 9.

Prior to this, Tommy had appointed two private lawyers Zainur Zakaria and Datuk S. Ambiga to represent him besides senior federal counsel S. Narkunavathy and Markiranjit Kaur.

This followed the decision made by Coroner Rofiah Mohamad on Aug 27 to allow the committal proceedings to be heard in the Coroner’s Court here before the Attorney-General filed an appeal in the High Court against the decision two days later.

Meanwhile, Zainur told reporters that the court today rejected the application by Mohd Kassim to cancel Tommy’s appeal against the decision by the Coroner Court.

"The court rejected the application on the grounds that an appeal can be made against the the Coroner Court’s decision and the outcome of the decision will determine if there was a proceeding in the contempt of court against Tommy will be continued.

"If the appeal is allowed, there will be no hearing for the committal application,” he said.

On July 16, Mohd Kassim Abdul Hamid, 65, filed an application for a committal order against Tommy for contempt of court in the inquest proceeding for the cause of his son’s death.

The ex-parte proceeding was made through Messrs Mohd Zubir Embong & Associate at the Registrar’s Office in the Coroner’s Court. — Bernama