The Kuala Lumpur High Court fixed March 7 to hear the constitutional questions raised on sedition charges against two lawyers and a political cartoonist.

If the court rules in their favour, then the charges pressed on the trio - lawyers N Surendran and Eric Paulson as well as political cartoonist Zulkiflee Anwar Ulhaque, better known as Zunar - could be dropped.

The date was set after the presiding judge Ab Karim Ab Rahman allowed the appeal of Surendran, who had applied to have the higher court hear the constitutionality issue on intention under the Sedition Act.

Last year, the Sessions Court had allowed two of the applications, also brought by Surendran, who is Padang Serai MP, to refer to the High Court to determine constitutionality issues.

It had rejected Surendran's third application - on intention as stipulated under Sedition Act.

Eric and Zunar had also made similar applications.

"Following this, our sedition trials at the Sessions Court will depend on the outcome of the High Court rulings. The Sessions Court has set March 9 for mention," he told Malaysiakini .

Criticised Court of Appeal

Surendran was slapped with a sedition charge for criticising the Court of Appeal’s ruling that overturned a lower court’s decision to acquit PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim on a sodomy charge.

He was accused of making the statement titled 'Court of Appeal’s fitnah 2 written judgment is flawed, defensive and insupportable', which was issued to news portal Malaysiakini on April 18, 2015.

He faced a second sedition charge on Aug 27, 2015 for a YouTube comment, where he alleged that the charge against Anwar was a political conspiracy.

Surendran faces a maximum three-year jail sentence and/or a maximum fine of RM5,000. He may lose his lawmaker status if found guilty.

Paulsen's sedition charge is for allegedly accusing the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) of spreading extremism via Friday sermons.

Zunar faces a total of nine sedition charges over his tweet on Anwar's sodomy conviction.

Surendran was represented by M Puravalen and Latheefa Koya, while deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin appeared for the prosecution.