KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 7 — The High Court has granted MIC vice-president Datuk C. Sivarraajh’s application for a judicial review of the Election Commission’s decision to bar him from elections for five years.
He said he hopes for a fair trial and no interference in the proceedings.
“I was just informed by my lawyer and the judicial review is expected to be on Thursday.
“I just want to clear my name, that is the reason. Not for me to contest again. Because I feel it is not fair for them to disqualify me just like that. I hope it is a fair trial with no interference from anyone,” he told Malay Mail when contacted today.
Sivarraajh said he is hopeful due to the lack of evidence implicating him in the vote-buying that led to the Special Election Court annulling his victory.
He said the judicial review is held to allow him to vote again as he was also barred from performing his duties as a Malaysian voter for the next five years aside from being disqualified from running for public office.
“It is not fair to stop me from voting the next five years. I am a loyal Malaysian, I am not a terrorist for them to do so.
“As a layman, a person who is affected, of course I am hopeful… We stand a good chance because the law and argument is very clear, they cannot disqualify me,” he said.
Earlier, his lawyer Vasanthi Arumugam told news portal MalaysiaKini that the decision by the High Court was made by Justice Datuk Nordin Hassan.
Vasanthi also said the court fixed Thursday afternoon to hear the merits of the application.
Last December 28, EC chairman Azhar Harun announced that Sivarraajh was disqualified from the upcoming Cameron Highlands by-election as well as from standing as a candidate in any constituency and voting until 2023.
He said the commission’s decision was made after a careful study of the ruling made by the Election Court on November 30, as well as the Elections Offences Act 1954.
Sivarraajh was previously reported to be among the shortlisted MIC candidates for the Pahang parliamentary seat.
The Election Court had nullified the result for the parliamentary constituency in the 14th general election on May 9 after finding that corruption had taken place to induce voters to vote for Sivarraajh, the Barisan Nasional candidate who won the contest in a five-cornered fight.
However, the court did not find any evidence directly linking Sivarraajh to bribing voters but found there was bribery of voters to vote for the BN candidate.
The nomination day for the Cameron Highlands by-election will be held this Saturday, and polling day will be on January 26.
