Keadilan Youth deputy information chief Badrul Hisham Shaharin, who was arrested by the police on Saturday, has expressed disdain over a decision to charge him for a comment he made during an interview with the foreign press outside the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya.

Badrul said he has been ordered to be present at the Sepang magistrate's court on June 15 to face charges of 'obscene utterance' under Section 294(b) of the Penal Code.

He said the "highly unprecedented" arrest by Federal Reserve Unit officers was made following his interview with a Reuters television crew.

Reporters had asked for his comments on the Federal Court's decision to refuse bail to former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim.

"I was asked to comment during a one-to-one interview. I did not make my comments publicly. The least the police could do was to wait until the news report comes out, and then arrest me under the appropriate laws," he said.

Section 294(b) of the Penal Code reads: 'Whoever, to the annoyance of others, ...sings, recites or utters any obscene song, ballad or words in or near any public place, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three months or with fine or with both."

According to Badrul, FRU personnel arrested him and placed him under a four-hour remand at the Putrajaya police station, where his statement was recorded. The police report was lodged by an officer attached to the FRU unit on duty.

Badrul said his arrest also shows that while the courts were ever-willing to produce controversial decisions, the state is incapable of accepting the fact that others may criticise such decisions.

The nation's highest court on Saturday ruled that it had no jurisdiction to grant Anwar a stay of execution and bail, pending the outcome of his appeal over his sodomy conviction.