KUALA LUMPUR: Actress Rita Rudaini has been ordered by the High Court to file her statement of defence in response to a defamation suit filed by two academics who head the Badan Pemuafakatan Pendidikan Mara Malaysia (Muafakat) of Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM) Sungai Besar in Sabak Bernam, Selangor.
The suit was filed by Muafakat MRSM Sungai Besar president Prof Dr Mohd Roslan Mohd Nor and vice-president Dr Saidah Haris @ Harith over statements allegedly posted by Rita, whose full name is Rita Rudaini Mohammad @ Mokhtar.
Lawyer Datuk Adnan Seman, representing the two plaintiffs, told reporters that during today’s case management, High Court Judicial Commissioner Nixon Kennedy Kumbong directed Rita to file her defence on or before April 6, reported Bernama.
“The court has fixed April 13 for the next case management to review the status of the defence filing,” he said, adding that lawyer Haris Md Nor conducted the proceedings.
Meanwhile, lawyer Mohd Syakirin Syazwan Mohd Nayan, who represents Rita, said the defence filed a memorandum of appearance for March 9.
On Dec 6, 2025, the two plaintiffs filed a suit against Rita, alleging that she had posted several defamatory statements about them on her Instagram and WhatsApp accounts, particularly via the application’s status feature.
Among the statements were remarks related to the “prof kangkung” issue involving the Muafakat leaders.
The plaintiffs claim the statements were false and had caused damage to their reputation.
They also alleged that the statements were made with malicious intent to tarnish their reputation and were published recklessly without strong evidence.
