LANGKAWI: An activist pleaded not guilty in the Magistrate's Court here Tuesday (July 21) to a charge of damaging a sacred Hindu object at an old temple site in March.
Tamim Dahri Abdul Razak, 34, entered the plea after the charge was read to him before Magistrate Hemy Annerina Haja Mydin.
He was charged with damaging a sacred Hindu object, specifically a three-pronged spear known as a soolam, while knowing that stomping on the object was an act of insult towards the religion.
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The offence was allegedly committed at the former Sri Muniswarar Temple site in Selat Panchor, Kuah, between 3.30pm and 6.30pm on March 8.
The charge was framed under Section 295 of the Penal Code for damaging, defiling or destroying a place of worship or sacred object, which provides for a maximum jail term of two years, a fine, or both upon conviction.
Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Ain Nur Sofea Noridan urged the court not to grant bail, arguing that the accused posed a high flight risk.
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She told the court that travel records indicated the accused had previously shown a tendency to avoid legal proceedings.
However, lawyer Datuk Hanif Hassan, representing Tamim Dahri, applied for bail, stating that the offence under Section 295 is bailable.
He also cited Section 387 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which provides that a person arrested or detained without a warrant for a bailable offence is entitled to be released on bail.
The court subsequently granted bail of RM10,000 with two sureties and also ordered the accused to surrender his passport to the court and report to the nearest police station every two weeks.
The court fixed Aug 23 for mention for the submission of documents. – Bernama
