KUALA LUMPUR – The high court here today dismissed Datuk Mohd Puad Zarkashi’s application to set aside an ex-parte injunction obtained by former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to restrain the former Umno Supreme Council member from republishing alleged defamatory statements on his Facebook page.
Judge Datuk Seri Mohd Firuz Jaffril also dismissed the former prime minister’s application to extend the injunction obtained by him on March 1 pending the disposal of his defamation suit against Puad.
In dismissing both applications, the judge said the court found there was no necessity to deal with both applications as the matter had lapsed since Puad had complied with the (previous) ex-parte interim injunction order to take down the impugned statements, which was the matter of Muhyiddin’s legal action.
“The impugned posting has been taken down. In these circumstances, I am not inclined to allow the applications,” he said and fixed December 9 for case management.
Counsels Datuk DP Naban and Rosli Dahlan represented Muhyiddin, while G. Rajasingam and Shahrul Fazli Kamarulzaman appeared for Puad.
Muhyiddin applied for an interim injunction to restrain Puad, or his agent, representative or anyone from republishing, reposting and resharing the alleged defamatory statements on Puad’s Facebook page.
Muhyiddin filed the application on grounds that the statements by Puad are false, defamatory and have tarnished the reputation and the good name of the former prime minister locally and internationally.
Meanwhile, in a writ of summons filed in his personal capacity, Muhyiddin claimed that on February 8, Puad had published a post on his Facebook account under the name DrPuad Zarkashi with the title “Kuarantin pun ada dua darjat?”.
He claimed that the post could be accessed by Internet users across the world and had received 1,200 reactions, 215 comments and 182 shares.
He also claimed that the post referred to “PM” (prime minister), and that it contained untrue, unwarranted, unsubstantiated and mischievous remarks against him and had defamed him.
Muhyiddin contended the statements implying that he and his entourage had refused to undergo quarantine for 10 days upon their return from their official trip to Jakarta, Indonesia. – Bernama, November 26, 2021
