TEMERLOH, Dec 1 — The High Court, here, set this Friday to give a decision on the application to postpone jail sentence by the Malaysian Crime Watch Task Force (MyWatch) chairman Datuk R Sri Sanjeevan while waiting for the appeal proceedings to be heard in the Court of Appeal.

Judge Datuk Hassan Abdul Ghani made the decision after hearing the arguments from lawyer S. Preakas who represented Sanjeevan and Deputy Public Prosecutor Law Chin How at the proceedings today.

At the proceedings, Preakas argued that his client should be given bail until the case is decided at the appeal stage as he had provided good co-operation throughout the case.

"My client also has health problems due to a gunshot wound in to the chest. In addition, the Court of Appeal has set January 14, 2021 as the hearing date and if our appeal is accepted, it will be academic because the client has already served a prison sentence,” he said.

Law, on the other hand, argued that the application should be rejected because Sanjeevan was sentenced to three months in prison and fined RM7,000 after being convicted by the Magistrate’s Court on August 14, 2018, for allegedly extorting a shop worker seven years ago.

He was charged with committing the offence by demanding RM1,500 in cash or the victim faced the risk of not being able to continue his business which allegedly took place at 9.45 pm, July 1, 2013 at Jalan Dagangan 8, Triang Commercial Centre, Bera, near here.

The Magistrate’s Court, at that time, however, accepted Sanjeevan’s application to postpone his jail sentence and ordered bail of RM3,000 against him to be increased to RM6,000.

The fine was however necessary and was paid by Sanjeevan.

On November 27, the High Court here, while hearing Sanjeevan’s appeal against his conviction and sentence upheld the decision made by the Magistrate’s Court and rejected Sanjeevan’s application to once again suspend his jail sentence as he intended to appeal to a higher level.

The decision resulted in Sanjeevan, currently, serving the sentence at Penor Prison, Kuantan. — Bernama