Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua has obtained leave from the High Court in Kuala Lumpur to challenge the travel ban the Immigration Department has imposed on him.

The leave was granted by justice Asmabi Mohamad today after receiving no objections from the Attorney-General’s Chambers representing the Immigration Department director-general and government.

With this, the merits of Pua’s challenge on the travel ban will be heard at later date to be decided.

It was reported on July 22 that Pua was barred from travelling to Jogjakarta, Indonesia.

The travel ban was issued on Pua for alleged involvement in `activity detrimental to parliamentary democracy' as termed by the authorities.

This led Pua to file the judicial review application on Aug 19 to challenge the ban.

Null and void

The PJ Utara MP is seeking a declaration that the order barring him from foreign travel be declared null and void. He is also seeking special damages for flight fare, costs and other relief deemed fit by the court.

In his application, Pua who acted through his lawyer Gobind Singh Deo ( photo ), noted he wrote to the immigration director-general on July 24 seeking an explanation but claimed there had been no reply.

He further claimed that the respondents acted ultra vires (beyond their powers) as they did not give him notice (to be barred) and he further claimed the decision was not rational, unfair to him and violated the principle of legitimate expectation.

Pua has been a vocal critic of the 1MDB scandal and a key member in the parliamentary public accounts committee (PAC) that had been probing the debt-ridden sovereign fund before it was scuttled.