KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 — A High Court judge today granted Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin an ad-interim injunction order against Datuk Mohd Puad Zarkashi, barring him from posting anything defamatory against the prime minister that will serve as an extension to an existing ex-parte injunction order against the Umno man that expires on March 21. 

Today’s ad-interim order was granted by Judge Datuk Seri Mohd Firuz Jaffril when the case came up for mention this afternoon and is valid until the disposal of two ongoing applications by the two politicians against each other, both stemming from a defamation suit Muhyiddin served Mohd Puad over an allegedly slanderous Facebook posting. 

Mohd Firuz then set May 24 for hearing of the two applications; the first an application by the defendant Mohd Puad that seeks for the court to set aside the previously granted ex-parte injunction order against him, and the second an appeal being Muhyiddin asking the court to also grant an inter-parte injunction order over Mohd Puad. 

“During this time all you have to do is not re-post the (impugned) article, you can do whatever you want but you just have to stop using certain words. 

“So we will hear both hearings on May 24 at 2.30pm, with the ad-interim injunction order granted and to last until the disposal of the matter,” said Mohd Firuz. 

When met outside court, Mohd Puad’s lawyers Shahrul Fazli Kamarulzaman said the newly granted ad-interim order should technically come into effect on March 22, adding how his client has been compliant with the court’s instructions so far. 

“He (Mohd Puad) never objected to the ad-interim order or the date requested for the hearing, he has followed the court’s orders and is now waiting for the set date to present our arguments in court. 

Shahrul Fazli also affirmed that an affidavit seeking for the court to set aside the initial ex-parte injunction order against Mohd Puad and challenging the March 1 decision was filed yesterday. 

Meanwhile, Muhyiddin’s lawyer Rosli Dahlan said that both sides had discussed and decided that May 24 would be an appropriate date to schedule hearing for both applications given how time would be required by both sides to issue their respective written replies. 

“Yesterday they served a last-minute affidavit, so to be fair to them we will respond to that and because they have an application to want to set aside the ex-parte injunction order, the next hearing date has been set for May 24. 

“The judge also granted an ad-interim injunction order that has the same terms as what was granted in the earlier ex-parte injunction order,” said Rosli. 

This after Muhyiddin had on March 1 filed a defamation lawsuit against Puad over his February 9 posting titled Kuarantin Pun Ada Dua Darjat on his Facebook page “DrPuad Zarkashi”, with Muhyiddin’s lawyers saying that the Facebook post and its contents are untrue and baseless.

While Muhyiddin is the prime minister of Malaysia, his lawyers made it clear in the court papers that he had filed the defamation lawsuit in his “personal capacity as a private citizen”.

In the defamation lawsuit against Puad, Muhyiddin is seeking compensation in the form of general damages, exemplary damages, and aggravated damages with the amount to be assessed and determined by the court.

Muhyiddin is also seeking an injunction to restrain Puad or his associates or representatives from publishing, posting, sharing the February 9 Facebook post or continuing to do so, as well as an injunction to stop such actions in relation to statements similar or related to the Facebook post.

The prime minister is also seeking a court order for Puad to immediately, prominently and permanently publish an unequivocal public apology on Puad’s Facebook page “DrPuad Zarkashi” in terms to be dictated by Muhyiddin, as well as a court order for Puad to cause all the news portal and social media — that will be identified by Muhyiddin — that had published the alleged defamatory remarks in his Facebook post to also immediately and prominently publish an apology.