KUALA LUMPUR, April 13 — The hearing of fugitive televangelist Dr Zakir Naik's defamation suit against Bagan Dalam assemblyman Satees Muniandy at the High Court this month has been postponed to May as the preacher is unable to return to Malaysia from Oman in time.
The hearing was initially scheduled for April 17 to 20.
When contacted, Satees's lawyer Shamsher Singh Thind said the court had initially decided not to allow further postponement at the request of Zakir's lawyer since the case has been ongoing since 2019 and taking into account the packed court calendar.
"They are saying he (Dr Zakir) wishes to pray (in Oman) in the final week (of April) so he is unable to come," Shamsher told Malay Mail when asked about the reason for seeking a postponement.
This is Dr Zakir's second bid for postponement after his first request was rejected by the High Court earlier this month.
Shamsher said the court later granted postponement with a cost of RM2,000 to be paid to the defendant before the next hearing dates after his side left the matter to the court's discretion.
The new hearing date has now been fixed for May 29 to May 31.
On April 4, Dr Zakir's lawyer Datuk Akberdin Abdul Kader filed an application to the court for a postponement to be granted, citing his client's non-availability during the scheduled dates in April.
He said his client was still in Oman after having been invited by the state to attend several lectures in conjunction with Ramadan.
The lawyer said that despite telling Dr Zakir he could attend court proceedings through Zoom, his client insisted on physically giving his testimony in court to avoid any technical issues and for better clarity.
Shamsher had then objected to the application, saying that the court had set the dates way back in 2021 and Dr Zakir's action to seek the postponement showed that he was not taking the case seriously.
In reply, the court's senior assistant registrar informed that Dr Zakir's bid for the postponement was disallowed since the case had been ongoing since 2019 and the excuse given was insufficient for the hearing to be postponed.
Satees is being sued over an article published by Malaysiakini on August 12, 2019, in which he said the preacher should be deported from Malaysia for suggesting that Malaysian Indians are more loyal to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi than to former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Dr Zakir had previously posted a video on his Facebook page, informing his supporters that he had safely arrived in Oman on March 22.
However, news reports emerged that Oman authorities had been asked to detain Dr Zakir following his arrival, with the Indian embassy in Oman working with local authorities to detain and deport him to India.
Dr Zakir, who now resides in Malaysia as a permanent resident, is facing charges in India involving money laundering, terrorism and creating religious tension.
The Indian government had previously sent an application for Dr Zakir's extradition in January 2018.
