EC protests judicial review bid on Segamat electoral roll, decision

KUALA LUMPUR: The Election Commission ( EC) has filed a preliminary protest against the application by 48 registered voters in the Segamat parliamentary constituency to obtain a judicial review on the suspension of entry of 949 names into the 2017 third quarter Supplementary Electoral Roll ( RDPT) for the area by the EC.

Senior Federal Counsel Suzana Atan said the protest was made on the grounds that all 48 applicants had to settle their appeal on the matter through the local inquiry before submitting an application in court.

She said the action of the applicants in submitting the application for the judicial review was premature because the appeal process through the local inquiry was still ongoing.

She said the court had set January 8 for a decision on the preliminary protest by the EC against the application, which was filed by Abdul Wahab Hassan and 47 registered voters of the Segamat parliamentary constituency.

She was speaking to reporters after yesterday’s proceedings in chambers before Judge Datin Azizah Nawawi.

Also present was lawyer Gobind Singh Deo who is representing all the applicants.

Gobind, when met reporters, said there was a legal provision enabling the applicants to make an application in court although the local inquiry was still under way. The applicants had filed the application for the judicial review on Dec 14, 2017 via Messrs J.M Lee & Co, and named the EC and the Johor registrar for the EC, Shafie Taib, as the first and second respondents.

They were applying for a certiorari order to revoke the entry and/or retain the 949 names in the RDPT together with any action arising out of and/or verifying the decision by respondents and/or agents and/or employees and/or their officers.

They also applied for a declaration that the entry and/or retention of 949 names into the RDPT were unconstitutional because they did not meet the requirements of Article 119 of the Federal Constitution.

They claimed that the entry and/ or retention of the names of Persons Denied in the RDPT was unreasonable, irrational and unbalanced. — Bernama