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KUALA LUMPUR: The prosecution in the case of lawyer Siti Kasim for preventing a religious official from raiding a transgender beauty pageant has filed an appeal against her acquittal.
Lawyer Saha Deva Arunasalam, who represents Siti in his lawsuit against the Islamic Religious Department of the Federal Territories (Jawi) and its officers for wrongful arrest and illegal detention, told reporters this during the mention of his civil case today in the High Court.
He said the prosecution’s appeal was filed on August 27.
First instance judge Latifah Mohd Tahar set October 28 to handle today’s case, in which Siti claims compensation from Jawi and the government for wrongful arrest and illegal detention, pending the outcome of the appeal of the prosecution.
Siti was acquitted by the Magistrates Court here on August 21 on the charge of obstructing Jawi religious official Nor Jihan Saleh in the performance of her duties during a raid on the transgender beauty pageant on April 3, 2016.
The magistrate had ruled that the charge against Siti under article 186 of the Penal Code was flawed, as it did not indicate how the obstruction occurred.
Siti started his civil action against Jawi and the government last year, seeking compensation for wrongful arrest and illegal detention.
She claimed that she suffered a “loss of freedom” for four hours after being detained by Jawi agents on April 3, 2016, in addition to nervous shock, insults and mental anguish.
She said she was only fulfilling her duty as a lawyer during the raid and insisted that she had not stopped the officers from fulfilling their obligations.
