KOTA BHARU, May 25 – The Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) will review the proposal papers on the reintroduction of 16 provisions of the Syariah Criminal Offences Enactment (I) Kelantan 2019 that were annulled by the Federal Court last February.
Deputy Minister Dr Zulkifli Hasan said that currently, they are awaiting the report through the special committee that has been formed in Kelantan for this purpose.
“We will review and examine the proposal when it is completed because it needs to be reported to the National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs Malaysia (MKI) and the Conference of Rulers.
“This is because they want to see all aspects comprehensively so that any subsequent actions will truly adhere to the interpretation of the constitution and the existing legal framework,” he told Bernama in Pulau Melaka on Friday.
On March 6, the Kelantan State Legislative Assembly, in its sitting, approved a motion to re-legislate the 16 offences in the Syariah Criminal Code Enactment (I) Kelantan 2019, which were declared null and void by the Federal Court on Feb 9.
Previously, a panel of nine judges led by Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, in an 8-1 majority decision, annulled the enactment after allowing the petition by lawyer Nik Elin Zurina Nik Abdul Rashid and her daughter, Tengku Yasmin Nastasha Tengku Abdul Rahman.
