KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has obtained a default judgment against the administrators of two Telegram channels, Edisi Siasat and Edisi Khas, over the publication and circulation of 33 allegedly defamatory and harmful articles.
MCMC's lawyer, Wong Guo Jin, said High Court Judge Mahazan Mat Taib granted the commission's application after the unidentified individuals operating the two channels failed to enter a memorandum of appearance by the court-mandated deadline.
"However, general and exemplary damages will be assessed later by the court," he told reporters after the proceedings on Friday (Nov 11).
MCMC filed the application for default judgment on Sept 25 after the defendants failed to submit an appearance and the required acknowledgment of service due on Sept 10.
The final deadline for the defendants to file their defence was Sept 24, but no defence has been submitted.
Wong said the court has set Nov 27 for case management to review MCMC's default judgment application against Telegram Messenger Inc., the third defendant in the suit.
Through the default judgment, the court granted MCMC a declaration that the administrators of the Edisi Siasat and Edisi Khas Telegram channels had allowed or facilitated the use of their platforms to publish and distribute harmful content targeting individuals in Malaysia.
The court also issued a mandatory injunction ordering the channel administrators to immediately and permanently remove all false, threatening, and offensive content; and another injunction prohibits the administrators or their agents from continuing to utter, write, distribute, or publish harmful material.
Additionally, the court granted a restraining injunction barring the administrators from releasing similar false, threatening, or offensive content.
A default judgment is a court ruling automatically entered against a party that fails to take required steps in a proceeding, without the need for a full trial. – Bernama
