KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court has fixed March 14 next year to decide on applications by Bersih 2.0 and six other civil society organisations as well as the Malaysian Bar to refer constitutional questions on the Emergency proclamation and the Emergency Ordinance to the Federal Court.
The applications are in relation to the legal actions filed by the groups and the Bar to challenge the validity of the government's move to proclaim a state of Emergency.
High Court judge Datuk Ahmad Kamal Md Shahid fixed the date when the matter came up for case management today.
The other groups are Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram), the Centre for Independent Journalism, Aliran, the Kuala Lumpur And Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, Persatuan Tenaga Akademik Malaysia (GERAK) and SAVE Rivers.
They had in their originating summons named former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and the government as respondents.
In the lawsuit, they are seeking among others, several court orders, including declarations that Section 14 of the Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance 2021, which suspended Parliament sittings during the Emergency as unlawful, unconstitutional and invalid.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Bar had in its judicial review application which involves similar issues named Muhyiddin as the sole respondent.
The emergency proclamation was effective across the country from Jan 12, which also led to the suspension of Parliament until Aug 1.
Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, proclaimed an Emergency as a proactive measure to contain the worsening Covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia.
