Preacher ordered to pay activist, lawyer RM100,000 each for defamation

August 3, 2024

Preacher ordered to pay activist, lawyer RM100,000 each for defamation

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here has ordered preacher Zamri Vinoth Kalimuthu to pay an activist and a lawyer RM100,000 each in damages for a defamatory statement he made about them.

Justice Johan Lee made the orders in a joint counterclaim brought by activist Arun Dorasamy and lawyer Siti Kasim against Zamri after finding that the preacher had defamed them by calling them “anti-Islam”.

In the main action brought by Zamri against Arun in 2020, the judge found that Arun had defamed the preacher by linking him to a rape case. Lee ordered Arun to pay Zamri RM100,000 in damages.

In his judgment, Lee said Arun had no basis to link Zamri to the crime.

“Until and unless a person is convicted in court, the labelling (of someone as a ‘rapist’) is uncalled for,” he said.

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In respect of the counterclaim, Lee said Zamri had failed to justify why he called Arun and Siti “anti-Islam”.

“Such serious labelling could only come from those in authority, and none has ever decreed or announced this,” the judge said, noting that no religious scholars were called to testify on the matter.

In addition, the court also ordered both Zamri and Arun to tender their respective apologies to one another on their social media accounts and in newspapers, within 30 days from today.

The judge made no order as to costs in both the main claim and the counterclaim.

Zamri was represented by Norazali Nordin, while lawyer Amanda Matthew appeared for Arun and Siti.

Outside court, Zamri told reporters he would be discussing his next course of action with his lawyers soon.