The Kuala Lumpur High Court has struck out the judicial review application by Major Zaidi Ahmad to dissolve the court martial panel on grounds of bias.

Justice Asmabi Mohamad dismissed the application on the grounds that it was now academic.

“The court has exercised its discretion not to allow the leave application for judicial review on academic grounds,” senior federal counsel Shamsul Bolhassan told reporters.

The former airman was also ordered to pay RM2,000 in cost to the armed forces, in the decision which was made in chambers.

Meanwhile, Zaidi’s lawyer Azhana Mohd Khairudin said her client can still file a fresh judicial review application to challenge the decision made by the military court.

“It is not the end of the road for Major Zaidi, he can still file a fresh application for a judicial review on the decision of the court martial,” she told reporters today.

Zaidi, on the other hand, said he was “disappointed” with the decision.

When asked if he is going to file for a fresh judicial review on the decision made on his sacking, he said he would be doing so elsewhere.

“I do not trust this court,” he said.

Zaidi filed the application for leave on Dec 11 last year seeking to get a declaration on the court martial panel as it was deemed biased and that his trial was invalid.

He claimed he was not given a fair trial as there was bias in the comment made by Military Court presiding officer Colonel Saadon Hasnan on Malaysiakini.

Zaidi alleged that Saadon had commented on an article published by the portal while the trial was ongoing.

The five-member panel of the Military court found Zaidi guilty on Jan 12 of two counts of breaching military procedures for the media statements he made on the effectiveness of the indelible ink used in the last general election.