The Kuala Lumpur High Court will hear on March 1, an application by senator T Murugiah to enforce a decision by the Malaysian Arbitral Tribunal Establishment (Mate), declaring he is the rightful president of the People's Progressive Party (PPP).

The court deputy registrar Diana Md Razali set the date in chambers, upon meeting both parties today.

Today was fixed for mention of the application by the Registrar of Societies (ROS) to set aside Mate's ruling on Dec 11, 2009, that Murugiah, the deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Department, was the rightful PPP president.

ROS filed an application to set aside the ruling on Dec 24, 2009, and named Mate, its president Munsyi Muslim Yacob, the arbitrator who made the decision, Abdul Halim Sidek, and Murugiah as respondents.

On Dec 28, 2009, Murugiah filed the application to enforce Mate's ruling at the High Court.

Mate, Munsyi and Abdul Halim were represented by counsel Khairil Khamis while counsels Sreekant Pillai and Vishnu Kumar acted for Murugiah. Senior federal counsel Nadia Hanim Mohd Tajuddin appeared for ROS.

Following Mate's decision, Murugiah, on Dec 30, 2009, withdrew his suit against ROS which challenged the latter's decision that his sacking by the PPP was valid.

High Court judge Alizatul Khair Osman Khairuddin struck out Murugiah's suit against ROS after Murugiah filed a notice of discontinuance of the suit.

On Dec 4, 2009, Murugiah obtained the green light to challenge the ROS ruling that an extraordinary general meeting which elected Murugiah as PPP president was invalid after his leave for judicial review was granted by Alizatul.

In the application, Murugiah named the ROS as the respondent in seeking an order of certiorari to quash the ROS decision dated Aug 26.

Murugiah was sacked in May 2009, after he allegedly used his deputy minister's office in the Prime Minister's Department to organise a news conference, and was removed on grounds that he had tarnished the good name of the party and made highly defamatory remarks against the party, its supreme council and leadership.

- Bernama