KUALA LUMPUR: A man was sentenced to 12 months in prison and fined RM250,000 by the Kuantan Sessions Court in Pahang for desecrating the Quran and posting grossly offensive content on social media in February.
Judge Harmi Thamri Mohamad imposed the sentence on Thursday (Nov 12) after S. Vikneswaran, 21, a former university student, pleaded guilty to both charges.
The court ordered the prison sentence to take effect from Nov 12, with an additional 12 months' imprisonment if he fails to pay the fine.
The judge said the sentence was meant not only to teach the accused a lesson but also to warn the public against committing similar offences.
Lawyer Muhammad Amirull Afiqq Mohamad Lokman, who represented Vikneswaran, applied for a stay of execution of the prison sentence pending an appeal, citing his client's scheduled psychiatric treatment appointments.
Pahang state prosecution director Mohd Sabri Othman opposed the application, arguing that there were no special circumstances to justify the court granting the defence's request.
As a result, the accused began serving his prison sentence Thursday.
According to the charge, the man was accused of desecrating an object held sacred by Muslims, namely the Quran, with the intention of insulting Islam at Jalan Gambang, Taman Seri Mahkota, here, at about 1.30pm on Feb 22.
He was charged under Section 295 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum prison term of two years, a fine, or both.
The second charge alleged that he had knowingly used the Threads account "ryandaselva" to post a grossly offensive communication with the intention of causing distress to others.
The charge was brought under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and is punishable under Section 233(2) of the same Act by a maximum fine of RM500,000, imprisonment for up to two years, or both, with a further fine of RM5,000 for each day the offence continues after conviction.
The incident came to light after the accused's father, the complainant, was contacted by his daughter on Feb 24 and told about a viral video on Threads showing the accused's actions.
The complainant then contacted the accused about the viral video, and the accused admitted he was the person shown in it.
Investigations found that the act was committed at a house in Taman Seri Mahkota Aman, here.
The accused was arrested at 3.30pm on Feb 25, and police seized his mobile phone and a copy of the Quran for investigation.
Social media analysis and reports from telecommunications companies confirmed that the account and phone numbers used belonged to the accused and his family. - Bernama
