THREE men pleaded not guilty at the Sessions Court in Petaling Jaya on Tuesday to a charge of setting fire to three vehicles belonging to the wife of social activist Cikgu Chandra four months ago.
The accused — tow truck driver A Kumaran, 34; security guard S Kisshen Nair, 30; and lorry driver P Surendran, 37 — entered their pleas after the charge was read before Judge Noor Ruzilawati Mohd Nor.
They were accused of jointly committing mischief by fire against three vehicles belonging to M Sri Uma Mahesvary, 50, namely a Perodua Bezza, Perodua Viva and Proton Ertiga, causing estimated losses of RM80,000.
The offence was allegedly committed at a house in Taman Kinrara, Puchong, at about 3am on 10 March.
The men were charges under Section 435 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the same law, which carries a maximum imprisonment term of 14 years and a possible fine upon conviction.
During proceedings, Deputy Public Prosecutor Nurfadzlin Mahmad Zulhasnan applied for all three accused to be denied bail, arguing that the case was serious and involved an offence that was not eligible for bail.
However, she said that if the court decided to grant bail, the prosecution proposed RM10,000 bail for each accused with one surety each.
She also requested additional conditions, including requiring the accused to report to the nearest police station, refrain from interfering with witnesses, particularly the victim, and surrender their passports to the court.
Defence lawyer Vinesh Segar, who represented all three accused, appealed for bail to be set at the minimum level, saying those accused posed no flight risk as they had cooperated with police throughout the investigation.
“They are the sole breadwinners for their families and have to support their wives, children and parents. We sympathise with what happened to the victim, but our clients have not admitted guilt over the incident,” he said, appearing with another lawyer, Daneish Thayalan.
After hearing submissions from both sides, Noor Ruzilawati allowed each accused to be released on RM8,000 bail with one surety each, along with the additional conditions requested by the prosecution.
The court fixed 7 August for the next mention of the case.
On 10 March, reports stated that three vehicles belonging to Cikgu Chandra were set on fire, allegedly by a group of unidentified men. Prior to that, the victim’s home in Puchong was also reportedly attacked by a group of men, resulting in damage to vehicle windows and parts of the residence.
The incident occurred just days after another independent preacher, Zamri Vinoth, was allegedly attacked by a group of men while inside his vehicle. - July 7, 2026
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