High Court judge Arifin Jaka in sacked deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim's sodomy trial this morning made a "gag order" by exhorting Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad to stop commenting on the case.

"In respect of subpoena served on Mahathir, the less comment made on this would be better. The very issue of whether it is relevant or not is yet to be decided by this court. I hope there will be no further comment from him on this issue," said Arifin.

The judge made the ruling after Anwar's counsel Karpal Singh pointed out the remarks made by Mahathir to the press yesterday. Mahathir was reported to have told journalists that it was unnecessary for him to be called as a witness as all the evidence had been given.

"He has already closed the case for everybody," Karpal told the court.

Karpal also referred to the articles on Mahathir's meet-the-students session in London carried in malaysiakini where the Prime Minister was reported to have made statements which infringe on the merit of the trial. He was also quoted to have said that he had privately wished that all lawyers should be hanged including Karpal. "'Hang the lawyers'"; (Feb 2)

"Stop this and not make further statements that to my mind amount to contempt. Judges must stand up and show they are masters of the court," Karpal told the court.

However, lead prosecutor Gani Patail said that the Prime Minister's statements could have been misconstrued. "Maybe the press should stop hounding the Prime Minister with questions," he said.

Mahathir's repeated statements relating to the ongoing sex trial had always invoked a hostile war of words between the defence and the judge. Anwar's lawyers had time and again requested Arifin to cite the premier for contempt. Judge Augustine Paul, in Anwar's corruption trial, also issued a gag order preventing Mahathir and his Cabinet ministers from commenting on the case.

Anwar and his adopted brother Sukma Dermawan Sasmitaat Madja are charged with sodomising Azizan Abu Bakar "on one night between Jan and March 1993 at 7.45pm". Sukma is also charged with abetting and aiding the former prime minister in-waiting to sodomise the ex-driver.

Anwar is currently serving six years in prison on conviction for corruption and stands trial for sodomy and sexual misconduct. He had repeatedly denied all charges and says they were fabricated by Mahathir's aides to end his political career.