Court squashes bid to strike out election petition

KUALA LUMPUR: MIC’s Datuk C. Sivarrajh's application to strike out an election petition by M. Manogaran of Pakatan Harapan – who is challenging the 14th General Election result for the Cameron Highlands parliamentary seat – has been dismissed by the High Court.

High Court (Appellate and Special Powers) judge Justice Azizah Nawawi, who made the dismissal in chambers, fixed Sept 5 for hearing proper of the case.

Manogaran, who is the Pahang DAP deputy chairman, told reporters that a portion of the petition has been struck out but the part on allegations of corruption remains.

“We will be calling 36 orang asli witnesses to the stand,” he said here yesterday.

The respondent will be calling 16 witnesses.

On June 4, Manogaran filed the election petition seeking to nullify the GE result.

Manogaran claimed that Sivarraajh and Jelai assemblyman Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail, who is Pahang Mentri Besar, had met nine village heads and given them money to distribute between RM30 and RM1,000 each to orang asli constituents.

He named Sivarraajh as the sole respondent in his application.

Manogaran is seeking a declaration that the election for the constituency on May 9 is not valid, and other relief deemed fit by the court.

In the election, Sivarraajh won the seat with 10,307 votes while Manogaran polled 9,710, PAS’ Wan Mahadir Wan Mahmud (3,587), PSM’s B. Suresh Kumar (680) and Berjasa candidate Mohd Tahir Kassim (81).

Lawyers M.Rajenthirakumar and K. Shanmuga represented Manogaran while Sivarraajh was represented by lawyer Datuk Mohd Hafarizam Harun. .