KUALA LUMPUR, April 23 — Lawyer Arun Kasi has been sentenced to a 30-day jail term after he committed contempt of court for making disrespectful remarks online regarding a court judgment, reported Malaysiakini today.
A fine of RM40,000 was also imposed on the lawyer by the Federal Court.
The news portal explained that Arun was charged with making hateful statements pertaining to the case of Leap Modulation Sdn Bhd vs PCP Construction Sdn Bhd, where the Federal Court decided to erase a dissenting judgment by Court of Appeal judge Datuk Hamid Sultan Abu Backer.
Arun, however, had previously stressed that his comments were fair criticism.
Heading a five-judge panel today, Tan Sri Ramly Ali maintained that Arun’s comments on the Federal Court were severe and offended the dignity and integrity of the judiciary as a whole, the report added.
“We (the panel) have also considered the Bar’s submission not to impose a custodial sentence. However, the gravity of the offence committed by Arun, coupled with his refusal to tender an unreserved apology, justifies this court taking a serious view of the matter.
“In the circumstances, we are of the view that the appropriate sentence is a term of imprisonment of 30 days from today and a fine of RM40,000 in default 30 days’ jail,” Ramly was quoted as saying further in the report.
The panel also dismissed Arun’s request for a stay of execution.
Other members of the panel included Tan Sri Azahar Mohamed, Datuk Rohana Yusuf, Datuk Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat and Datuk Nallini Pathmanathan.
Attorney General Tommy Thomas initiated the committal proceedings after he won the Federal Court’s leave on February 27 to cite Arun for contempt over two articles that were published online.
