SHAH ALAM, Sept 18 — The High Court here today issued an interim injunction preventing the Defence Minister and the Ministry of Defence (Miti) from making any statements regarding the death of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Reserve Officers Training Unit (Palapes) cadet Syamsul Haris Shamsudin.
Judge Adlin Abdul Majid granted the order after receiving a bond undertaking from senior federal counsel Roziza Sidek, representing both the minister and Miti, and set the next case management date for September 26.
“The court’s order also requires the counsel to secure confirmation of the bond undertaking from the ministry. Pending the resolution of this case, the minister and the ministry are prohibited from issuing any form of statement relating to the death of Syamsul Haris,” the judge said.
Syamsul Haris’ mother, Ummu Haiman Bee Daulatgun, 45, through lawyer Datuk Naran Singh, had initially sought a gag order to prevent the Defence Minister and Miti from issuing any statements or press releases until the police investigation and the second post-mortem of her son’s death were fully completed.
Prior to this, media reports confirmed that the Special Crime Investigation Unit of Bukit Aman’s Criminal Investigation Department had taken over the investigation into the death of the Palapes trainee after the Shah Alam High Court on August 26 approved the family’s application to exhume the body and conduct a second post-mortem.
Syamsul Haris, 22, was pronounced dead on July 28 at Kota Tinggi Hospital, after undergoing training at the Army Combat Training Centre in Ulu Tiram, Johor.
He was buried at the Kampung Riching Ulu Muslim Cemetery on July 29. — Bernama
