Acquitted teacher yearning to teach once again

SEREMBAN: A teacher acquitted by the High Court here for allegedly leaking UPSR exam papers five years ago wants to report back to school soon to do what he does best – teach Mathematics and Science to primary pupils.

L. Subbarau, 40, said he has a lot of catching up to do after being charged in September 2014.

“I hope the education authorities will call me as soon as possible because I have a lot to learn after being out of the school system for so long.

“The past four-and-a-half years have been a nightmare and I’m glad it is finally over,” he said when met outside the High Court here yesterday.

Earlier, Judicial Commissioner Datuk Muhammad Jamil Hussin set aside a lower court’s decision in February last year, which sentenced Subbarau, who was a teacher at SJKT Ladang Batang Benar, to five years’ jail.

His verdict was based on the grounds that the accused was not allowed to recall two important witnesses during his trial.

“After hearing submissions from both parties, this court sets aside the conviction on the grounds that the accused has been prejudiced against,” he said.

Subbarau was first acquitted by the Sessions Court in 2015 and the decision was upheld later by the High Court.

He was charged under the Official Secrets Act 1972, which carries a jail term of between one and seven years, for having images of leaked papers involving five subjects in his mobile phone.

But, on May 25, 2017, the Court of Appeal ordered Subbarau to enter his defence on grounds that the prosecution had established a prima facie case.

In Feb 2018, the Sessions Court found Subbarau guilty of five counts of having the images and sentenced him to a five-year jail term for each offence. However, he was ordered to serve the sentence concurrently.

Counsel for the accused Omar Kutty said his client had the right to recall two important prosecution witnesses when the case was reheard by a new judge, but this was refused by the court.