KUALA LUMPUR — The Kuala Lumpur High Court on Monday (Sept 21) dismissed applications by Putrajaya and Mr Anwar Ibrahim to strike out a legal challenge against the royal pardon granted to the opposition leader by the Agong over his sodomy case.

In his ruling, judge Akhtar Tahir said the case is not clear cut to be dismissed summarily.

On February 26, lawyer Mohd Khairul Azam Abdul Aziz filed the challenge to overturn the royal pardon granted to Mr Anwar over his sodomy case in 2018.

On June 2, Mr Anwar filed the striking-out application.

Mr Khairul said in February 2015 that the Federal Court upheld the conviction and five-year imprisonment imposed by the Court of Appeal against Mr Anwar for sodomising his former personal aide, Mr Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

However, in May 2018, after the 14th general election and the formation of a new government, he said several wrongful and unconstitutional actions were taken to obtain a pardon for Mr Anwar and get him released from prison.

Two days after the formation of the new Pakatan Harapan government, then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, at a media conference said the king had consented to a full pardon for Mr Anwar, said Mr Khairul.

The pardon contravenes Articles 42 (4) and (5) of the federal constitution in view of the fact that pardons granted by the king should be with the advice of the Pardons Board, which had not been formally convened, said Mr Khairul. THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT