PETALING JAYA, Feb 14 — Selangor Mentri Besar Amirudin Shari today urged all parties to observe the High Court’s dismissal of a bid by 50 devotees of the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman temple to prevent developer One City Development Sdn Bhd from taking possession of the land on which the temple sits.
“The Selangor state government notes Justice Wong Kian Kheong’s ruling that dismissed the bid to stop the relocation of the said temple.
“Therefore the Selangor state government urges all parties involved to respect and abide by the court’s decision to ensure public order and uphold the rule of law,” he said in a statement today.
Amirudin said the state government is ready to work with all parties involved to comply and implement the court decision, and will take all necessary measures to guarantee peacefulness of Selangor.
In his judgment yesterday, Wong had said the 50 temple devotees who acted as plaintiffs in the case had no locus standi to sue the five respondents including One City Development Sdn Bhd.
He dismissed the plaintiffs’ application for an interlocutory injunction to restrain One City from entering the land to demolish the temple, and for an order to stay the execution of their writ of possession.
Wong said the developer has the right to the land as it is the registered owner — a right protected by the Federal Constitution and under the National Land Code.
He added that there was no proof that Hindu custom had the force of law as per the plaintiffs’ submission.
The issue of the relocation of the temple triggered a riot on Nov 26 and 27 last year that saw Fire and Rescue Department personnel Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim injured when he was allegedly attacked by rioters. He succumbed to his injuries while receiving treatment at the National Heart Institute on Dec 17.
An inquest at a Coroner’s Court in Shah Alam is currently ongoing to determine the firefighter’s cause of death.
