SHAH ALAM, Oct 2 — A Bangladeshi cleaner has claimed trial at the Sessions Court here today over a charge of torturing a cat.

Monotosh, 41, as the accused, was charged with cruelly dragging an adult cat, which was tied with a restraining device, along the road while riding a motorcycle, resulting in suffering to the animal.

He is alleged to have committed the offence in the vicinity of the residential area of Section 31 here on September 7, under Section 29(1)(e) of the Animal Welfare Act 2015, and could be punished under Section 29(1) of the same Act, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code.

If found guilty, he faces a minimum fine of RM20,000 and a maximum of RM100,000, or imprisonment of up to three years, or both.

Mohd Sharif Sabran, a prosecuting officer from the Selangor Veterinary Services Department, proposed bail of RM20,000 with one surety, in addition to the accused being required to surrender his passport to the court.

K Ragia Sri Devi, the lawyer representing the accused, applied for a minimum bail, saying that her client needs to support his family in his home country with a salary of RM1,500 and does not have close relatives in Malaysia to help with the substantial bail amount.

"Moreover, the passport has also been requested to be surrendered to the court, and my client is not fleeing from any charges; he has been cooperating from day one. I hope the court will consider reducing the bail amount to a more appropriate figure,” she said.

The court granted bail to the defendant at RM13,000 with one surety and ordered Monotosh to surrender his international passport to the court. He is also required to report to the nearest police station every month until the case is resolved.

The case is set to be mentioned again on November 4.

Earlier, the court also granted Mohd Sharif’s request to issue a warrant for the arrest of a foreign individual who was supposed to be charged alongside Monotosh today but failed to appear in court. — Bernama