The High Court has ordered the government to pay a total of RM274,375 in damages to lawyer and activist Siti Kasim and her client following an unlawful police raid and wrongful detention in 2018.
Judicial Commissioner Arziah Mohammed Apandi ruled that the June 21, 2018, raid on Siti’s home, carried out without prior notice or intention to contact the occupants, constituted a clear intrusion. Siti Zabedah Kasim, 62, and her client Anis Nur Izzatty Ruslan, 31, filed the lawsuit on January 29, 2021, naming 30 defendants, including 22 police officers involved, as well as former Selangor CID director Datuk Fadzil Ahmat, former Kajang Hospital director Dr Md Fikri Abu Bakar, Kajang Hospital, the Inspector-General of Police, the Home Minister, the Health Minister, and the government.
The court awarded RM120,625 in general damages to Siti and RM53,750 to Anis, alongside RM100,000 in exemplary damages to be paid jointly by the defendants, as well as RM50,000 in legal costs.
In her judgment, Arziah noted that one police officer admitted to not reviewing the police report related to the case before conducting the raid. She emphasised that entering private premises without permission or legal authority constitutes an intrusion. She also highlighted that two days later, Siti was arrested while performing her professional duties, despite the police having no legal grounds for detention. “The actions of the defendants demonstrate extreme negligence and disregard for the constitutional rights of the plaintiffs,” she said.
According to the plaintiffs’ statement of claim, Anis had sought shelter at Siti’s home due to family issues while Siti attended a conference. Nine plainclothes police officers broke down the grill and front door to enter the house, taking Anis—who was hiding in the bathroom—to Kajang police headquarters. When Siti later arrived at the station on June 23, she was not allowed to meet her client and was herself detained on allegations of abducting Anis and obstructing police duties, though the remand application was ultimately rejected by the Magistrate.
Siti and Anis were represented by lawyer Surendra Ananth, while the government and other defendants were represented by Federal Counsel Anis Najwa Nazari.
