The Human Rights Party (HRP) has failed to get registered as a political party when its application was rejected by the Registrar of Societies (ROS).

Following the ROS’ decision, the High Court today dismissed lawyer P Uthayakumar’s application for a judicial review for the ROS, Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and the Federal Territory ROS to approve and register HRP as a political party.

Justice Rohana Yusuf, who made the ruling in chambers, also ordered Uthayakumar to pay RM2,500 in costs to the three respondents.

Uthayakumar, who represented himself, told the media that the court today was scheduled to hear his judicial review application, but the court dismissed the application as it became academic following the ROS ruling.

He said ROS in a letter dated Aug 4 had given two grounds for the rejection as it found that HRP was not properly organised and it failed to produce a constitution that complied with the ROS’ requirement.

In the judicial review application, Uthayakumar was seeking a mandamus order for the respondents to approve and register the HRP in accordance with provisions in the federal constitution and the Societies Act 1966.

Uthayakumar claimed that he had been applying for the party to be registered since 2000 when it was then called Parti Reformasi Insan Malaysia, but he did not get any reply from ROS.

Senior federal counsel Nadia Hanim Mohd Tajudin represented the three respondents.

- Bernama