Ex-university student jailed 12 months, fined RM250,000 over Quran desecration

KUANTAN: A 21-year-old former Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah student, S. Vikneswaran, has been sentenced to 12 months in jail and fined RM250,000 for desecrating the Quran and publishing offensive content online. The Sessions Court dismissed Vikneswaran's lawyer's application for a stay of execution, citing no special circumstances to justify it.

The court also ordered an additional fine of RM250,000 for publishing offensive content, which, if unpaid, would result in an additional 12 months in jail. Vikneswaran pleaded guilty to both charges in March, but initially maintained his innocence. The first charge involved defiling the Quran, an act that could result in up to two years in jail, a fine, or both under Section 295 of the Penal Code.

The second charge focused on publishing offensive content on social media platform Threads with the intent to annoy others, carrying a maximum fine of RM500,000, up to two years in jail, or both, under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act. Both offenses were committed on February 22 at a house in Taman Seri Mahkota Aman.

Vikneswaran's sister reported the incident after seeing a social media post that allegedly contained racial slurs, which prompted his father to confront him. He was subsequently detained on February 25 following the complaint.