A lawyer who is suing the Malaysian Bar and Bar Council challenging on the legality of a notice to call for the Malaysian Bar's extraordinary general meeting (EGM) on May 11, was today given an extension of time to file his amended statement of claim.

High Court Judge John Louis O’Hara granted the leave application for an extension of time to file an amended claim by Mohd Khairul Azam Abdul Aziz, who named the two legal bodies as defendants in the suit.

“After considering the factual matrix and conduct of parties in the case, I am exercising my discretion to allow the application,” the judge said.

O’Hara also fixed Jan 23 to hear the two defendants’ application to strike out the amended claim.

On Aug 2, O’Hara had granted Mohd Khairul Azam to amend his statement of claim.

Mohd Khairul Azam filed the suit against the Malaysian Bar and Bar Council seeking a declaration that the EGM notice dated May 4 was null and void and not in compliance with the Legal Profession Act 1976.

Among others, he claimed the notice was issued less than seven days from May 11 and that the motion discussed at the EGM contravened the Sedition Act as it pertained to a matter which was beyond the jurisdiction of the defendants.

The EGM passed a motion, 939 votes to 16, demanding an apology from the inspector-general of police and Home Ministry for alleged use of force against demonstrators and reporters during the Bersih 3.0 assembly in Kuala Lumpur on April 28.

Afterwards, counsel Dr Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman, representing Mohd Khairul Azam, told reporters that with the ruling, now the court would hear the dispute in the case which involved constitutional issues.

Co-counsel Shaharudin Ali said the plaintiff was challenging the validity of the EGM notice as it was not issued in the national languange as required under the federal constitution and National Language Act.

- Bernama