Leaked UPSR questions: Teacher's conviction, jail term quashed

PUTRAJAYA (Bernama): The Court of Appeal here has quashed the conviction and one year's jail sentence of a teacher charged with possessing leaked questions of the 2014 Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) papers after her representation was accepted by the Attorney General.

Lawyer Haresh Mahadevan informed the three-member panel on Thursday (Jan 23) that his client, P. Uma Mageswari, had submitted a representation in December last year and the Attorney General accepted her representation.

Deputy public prosecutor Tengku Intan Suraya Tengku Ismail said the instruction given was to concede to Uma's appeal.

Following the prosecution's request, Justice Dr Hamid Sultan Abu Backer, who led the bench, subsequently quashed Uma's conviction and jail sentence.

He also ordered the bail amount of RM5,000 to be refunded to Uma.

The two other judges were Justices Rhodzariah Bujang and Hanipah Farikullah.

Uma, 33, who was suspended following her conviction by the High Court, had appealed against the court’s decision last year which found her guilty of the charge and sentenced her to a year's jail.

She was, however, given bail of RM5,000 in one surety by the High Court pending her appeal at the Court of Appeal.

The Sessions Court had initially discharged and acquitted Uma without calling her to enter her defence in 2016. However, on appeal by the prosecution, the High Court ordered her to enter her defence.

At the end of the defence case, the Sessions Court acquitted Uma of the charge. The prosecution then appealed to the High Court which convicted her.

Uma was accused of having images of copies of the UPSR examination papers for the Science subject on her handphone at her school, SJKT Keruh, Pengkalan Hulu, Perak, on Sept 10,2014.

The charge was made under Section 8(1)(c)(iii) of the Official Secrets Act 1972.

Outside the court, Haresh told reporters that his client was set free. - Bernama