FORMER Penang deputy chief minister II Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy has initiated legal action against controversial Muslim preacher Dr Zakir Naik, accusing him of labelling him as “the biggest enemy of Islam”.
The defamation suit filed at the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Dec 3, seeks damages, interest and other appropriate reliefs for the alleged remarks made during a speech in Nigeria.
In his statement of claim, Ramasamy also called for the removal of all postings of the speech from Dr Zakir’s Facebook and other social media platforms.
Moreover, he demanded an unconditional apology and a statement of regret to be published in various newspapers if the court rules in his favour.
The allegations stem from a speech Dr Zakir delivered in Sokoto, Nigeria, on Nov 2, with a video uploaded to his social media platforms on Nov 4.
The speech reportedly discussed a Nov 1 High Court ruling that ordered Ramasamy to pay Dr Zakir RM1.52 mil in damages for defamatory statements made on five occasions between 2017 and 2019.
Furthermore, Ramasamy noted that the widely-followed speech had damaged his reputation globally, exposing him to public hatred, ridicule, or contempt.
“The speech marred my reputation in the eyes of the public and exposed me to hatred, ridicule or contempt,” he said.
Social media users further amplified the defamatory content by sharing it on their platforms.
During the recent case management, senior assistant registrar Nur Shasha Hidayah Nor Azahar directed Dr Zakir to file his defence by Jan 16.
Furthermore, Ramasamy is expected to respond to the defence by Feb 9. Legal representation for him was provided by lawyer Shamsher Singh Thind while Meor Hafiz Salehan represented Dr Zakir in the online proceedings. – Dec 27, 2023
Main photo credit: HarakahDaily
