Twelve people who took part in the cow-head protest in front of the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Building in Shah Alam on Aug 28 will be jointly tried at the Sessions Court.

The trial date will be fixed during the case's mention on Dec 8.

Earlier judge M Gunalan allowed the application by Deputy Public Prosecutor Roslan Abu Bakar that the accused be tried together.

NONE They are Ahmad Mahayuddin Abdul Manaf, 36, Ibrahim Sabri, 43, Eyzva Ezhar Ramly, 31, Mohd Azmir Mohd Zain, 35, Ahmad Suhairy Zakaria, 30, and Mohd Hilmi Ni, 40.

Ibrahim and Ahmad Mahayuddin are jointly charged with stepping on the cow's head, Eyzva Ezhar with bringing the cow's head while Mohd Azmir, Ahmad Suhairy and Mohd Hilmi, with bringing and stepping on the cow's head in an illegal assembly.

They are charged under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948 and face a maximum of RM5,000 in fine, or jail of up to three years, or both.

They also pleaded not guilty to an alternative charge of wounding the feelings of Hindus at the same place and time and face up to a year in jail, fine, or both, under Section 298 of the Penal Code.

Ahmad Mahayuddin and Ibrahim are the chairperson and deputy chairperson respectively of Section 23 residents' action committee which headed a demonstration against the relocation of a temple into the area.

They and six others, namely Jainuddin @ Zainuddin Md Yusuff, 67, Mohd Jurit Ramli, 39, Mohamad Nordin Zakaria, 46, Jamil Mohamad Isa, 40, Rahimuddin Md Harun, 39, and Azhari Shaari, 39, are also charged with taking part in an illegal assembly.

Malay prophet jailed

In another matter, the leader of a deviationist Muslim sect, Abdul Kahar Ahmad, who had proclaimed himself a 'Rasul Melayu' (Malay prophet) was today sentenced to 10 years in jail, fined RM16,500 and ordered to be caned six times by the Syariah High Court after pleading guilty to five amended charges under the Selangor Syariah Criminal Enactment 1995.

Syarie Judge Abu Zaky Mohammad also ordered Abdul Kahar, 59 to be sent for rehabilitation at the 'Pusat Pemurnian Akidah Baitul Iman' centre in Hulu Yam Baharu at the time of his last six months of his prison term.

The charges under Section 8 (a), 7 (1), 12 (c), 10 (b) and 13 (1) of the enactment carry a fine of RM21,000 and maximum jail sentence of 13 years and whipping.

The court ordered that the sentences be served consecutively from the date of his arrest on Sept 16.

Abdul Kahar, who is unemployed, committed all the offences at No. 44, Jalan Bunga Ros, Kampung Kemensah, Hulu Klang between May 19 and Jun 23, 2005.

After the sentence was passed, Abdul Kahar, who was standing in the dock, remained calm while his family members sobbed and hugged.

Judge Abu Zaky, who took almsot two hours to read the 55-page judgment, said the court in passing sentence saw the seriousness of the case besides placing importance on public interest.

- Bernama