Jawi appeals RM160,000 damages award to Siti Kasim over wrongful arrest

The Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department (Jawi) and 22 others have appealed a High Court ruling that ordered them to pay lawyer and activist Siti Kasim RM160,000 in damages for her wrongful arrest and detention in 2016. Senior Federal Counsel Ng Siew Wee argued that the appeal focused on three key issues: the concept of guilty intent in public office misconduct, the allegation of malicious prosecution, and the judge's evaluation of witness testimonies and records from prior criminal proceedings.

Ng contended that a simple misunderstanding of the law did not equate to abuse of power and that the evidence did not prove that the officers who filed the police report acted with dishonest intent. Lawyer A. Saha Deva, representing Siti Kasim, stated that the court had correctly analyzed the facts and applied the law, asserting that the enforcement officers proceeded with the raid without verifying their legal authority.

Deva emphasized that the officers persisted with the raid even after Kasim questioned the legality of their actions. The case management hearing for the appeal was set for November 5, 2025, with a three-member panel to determine the final decision on the appeal.