The Kuala Lumpur High Court set aside April 4 for case management of the application by the author and publisher of The March to Putrajaya: Malaysia's New Era Is At Hand for a judicial review to challenge an order to seize 33 copies of the book.

High Court judge Rohana Yusuf set the date in chambers when the case came up for mention today.

On Jan 24, Yong Thye Chong, who wrote under the name Kim Quek, and the publisher Oriengroup Sdn Bhd received permission from the High Court for a judicial review to challenge the order.

His counsel Aston Paiva told reporters that the judge had fixed the date for all parties to file documents and affidavits for the substantive hearing of the judicial review.

NONE On Nov 3 last year, the 72-year-old Yong and Oriengroup filed the judicial review application seeking to lift the book ban.

They also want a declaration that the seizure of 33 copies of the book was null and void and that the ban is ultra vires of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984.

Yong and Oriengroup claimed that the order was in contravention of their right of freedom of speech, of equality and rights of liberty.

They named the home minister, inspector-general of police, assistant superintendent Zul Azhar Mokhtar, chief inspector Nahar Yamen, assistant superintendent Mohd Fahmi Daraman Shah and the government as respondents.

Yong and Oriengroup said that 33 copies of the book were seized on Aug 19 last year - 20 in Kuantan, four in Melaka, six in Cheras and three at Universiti Malaya in Kuala Lumpur.

They said the minister had banned the book on Sept 27 last year as being prejudicial to public order.

They claimed that they were not given the right to be heard before the ban.

- Bernama