Fourteen men have pleaded not guilty in the Temerloh Syariah Lower Court to charges of allegedly behaving like women, while three of them also face additional charges of wearing indecent attire in a public place.
The pleas were recorded before Judge Norhisham Ahmad after the charges were read under Section 33 of the Pahang Syariah Criminal Offences Enactment 2013. Three of the accused were also charged under Section 53 of the same enactment.
According to the charge sheets, the alleged offences were committed between 11pm and 11.30pm on 12 January 2025 at Garden Dream Hall in Mentakab.
Syariah lawyer Muhammad Syarafi Mohd Salleh, who represented all 14 defendants, said his clients denied the charges and requested that the case proceed to trial.
He said the defence would obtain the relevant case documents to allow lawyers to fully review the evidence before the next court proceedings.
The court granted bail ranging from RM500 to RM800 for each accused, with one surety required, and fixed 22 September for the next case mention.
Muhammad Syarafi said no special monitoring conditions were imposed after the accused were released on bail, as enforcement action had already been completed and the matter is now under the prosecution’s management.
He added that a conviction under Section 33 of the Pahang Syariah Criminal Offences Enactment 2013 carries a maximum penalty of RM1,000 fine, up to one year’s imprisonment, or both.
The three accused facing the additional charge under Section 53 could, if convicted, be sentenced to a fine of up to RM2,000, imprisonment of up to one year, or both.
The prosecution was led by Busu Firdaus Abu Bakar, while lawyer Mohamed Noor Helmi Abdul Hamid also appeared for all of the defendants.
