KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 17 — The director and producer of banned indie film Mentega Terbang were charged in the Magistrate's Court today for deliberate intention of wounding the religious feelings of others.
Director and scriptwriter Mohd Khairi Anwar Jailani, 32, and producer Tan Meng Kheng, 37, both pleaded not guilty before magistrates Noorelynna Hanim Abd Halim and Aina Azahra Arifin.
The duo were charged under Section 298 of the Penal Code, which carries a punishment of imprisonment for up to one year, a fine, or both upon conviction.
The offence was said to have been committed at 12.34pm on February 26, 2023, at Diamond Regency, Jalan Semarak Api 2, 53000 Kuala Lumpur.
Deputy public prosecutors Abd Malik Ayob and Nor Azizah Aling offered the defendants a RM10,000 bail with one surety each along with a gag order to stop them from issuing comments related to the case throughout the trial.
Lawyer N .Surendran representing both Khairi and Tan however objected arguing that the amount was excessive and deemed the gag order as baseless.
The court eventually set a RM6,000 bail for Khairi and a RM6,500 bail for Tan with one surety each.
Both of them were also slapped with a gag order from issuing statements related to the case throughout the trial and are required to report themselves at their nearest police station once every month.
On September 13, Putrajaya banned lfilm Mentega Terbang from any screening in Malaysia, following the publication of a government gazette, Film Censorship (Prohibition) Order 2023, that was signed by Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and published on September 1.
Both Khairi and Tan had described the move as ‘irrational’ and a violation of the freedom of speech guaranteed in the Federal Constitution.
Mentega Terbang produced by Anomalist Production, revolves around the journey of 15-year-old Aishah, who becomes curious about faith and the afterlife because of her mother’s declining health.
The film drew criticism from the Muslim community scenes that were deemed to go against the Islamic teachings.
