{
  "id": 16550113,
  "title": "Bekas pelajar gagal dalam saman cuai, fitnah",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/26/bekas-pelajar-gagal-dalam-saman-cuai-fitnah",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-26T02:16:23.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/bahasa/tempatan/2026/10/26/bekas-pelajar-gagal-dalam-saman-cuai-fitnah"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Kuala Terengganu High Court upholds the lower court's decision to dismiss the RM400,000 suit filed by a former student, Nur Nabilah Ahmad Zambala, against a teacher and the government for body checks and defamation during the SPM trial practice. The High Court's Justice Yusrin Faidz Yusoff rejected her appeal, upholding the court's decision despite the school's lack of explicit authority under examination regulations to inspect pupils' mobile phones. A fifth-grade student was checked after two other students reported seeing her looking at her phone during the Sains Rumah Tangga (Home Economics Science) trial on October 25, 2020, at SMK Sura, Dungun. The school principal and science teacher found notes and answer schemes matching those in her answer sheet for several subjects. The school took disciplinary action, reducing her marks by 1%, which was later restored after intervention from the district education office. Nabilah sued the school for damages due to defamation, emotional distress, and damage to her reputation, alleging the school's actions amounted to defamation and malicious publication of the paper SnRT, included in the letter containing her phone. However, Justice Yusoff ruled the statement was not defamatory in context, and the defendant presented a justifiable defense by proving the factual basis of the complaint. The judge noted that the school's internal communication was protected by a conditional privilege. He also acknowledged concerns about the school's failure to refer the defamation claim to the relevant education authority. When dismissing her appeal, Justice Yusoff maintained the lower court's decision and ordered Nabilah to pay the RM5,000 appeal fee, in addition to the RM10,000 already awarded by the lower court. The judge emphasized that Nabilah failed to prove her case based on the balance of probabilities, as the defendant did not engage in any wrongdoing. Her defense attorney, Hisyam Yusof and Nor Fatihah Hazmira Mat Azmi, represented her, while Federal public prosecutor Nik Rabiatul Adawiah Soupy and Faizuan Khalid represented the government.",
  "summary": "Nur Nabilah Ahmad Zambala kemuka saman bagi dapatkan ganti rugi atas dakwaan penghinaan, gangguan emosi, dan kerosakan reputasi.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}