KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13 — Perikatan Nasional (PN) must remain under an indefinite suspension of its activities for now, after the High Court declined to temporarily halt the Registrar of Societies’ (RoS) order despite allowing the coalition to challenge it in court.

The ruling, reported by Free Malaysia Today, allows PN to proceed with a judicial review of two RoS notices issued in September, while its application to suspend their effect will be heard on October 22.

Justice Datuk Azizan Arshad said PN had met the threshold for permission to bring the case, but whether the suspension was lawful would have to be decided at a substantive hearing.

The legal challenge comes ahead of the November 14 Melaka state election, with PN arguing that the suspension has disrupted its preparations for the polls.

Lawyer Ivanpal Singh Grewal told the court the coalition could not finalise its candidates, mobilise grassroots supporters or prepare for the election while the suspension remained in force.

“At the moment, PN cannot meet and decide on its candidates. It cannot engage its grassroots and prepare for the election,” he said.

However, senior federal counsel Nurhafizza Azizan, representing the Attorney General, argued that the challenge was premature because the show-cause notice issued to PN had not expired and the RoS had yet to make a decision on the coalition.

PN’s application seeks to overturn a September 23 notice suspending its activities indefinitely, as well as a September 22 notice demanding an explanation for why the coalition should not be deregistered. 

It is also seeking a declaration that both notices are invalid.

The application was brought by the secretaries-general of five PN component parties, excluding Bersatu: PN and PAS secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan, Gerakan’s Wong Chia Zhen, Malaysian Indian People’s Party’s N Sathes Kumar, Wawasan’s Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah and Pejuang’s Sazmi Miah.

The RoS director-general and Home Minister were named as respondents.