KUALA LUMPUR: A 36-year-old interior designer landed himself in hot water when he was charged at Ampang Sessions Court today over his Instagram story posts uploaded last year.
William Khor Wai Loon was charged with two counts of uploading seditious and insulting remarks against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges after it was read to him before Sessions Court judge Wan Mohd Nurisham Wan Yaakob.
He was accused of uploading Instagram stories that called for a demonstration against the Yang di Pertuan Agong's power on Nov 20, around 3.31am at a house in Ampang, here.
He was charged under Section 4(1)(a) of the Sedition Act 1948 which carries a maximum of three years imprisonment or an RM5,000 fine or both.
The accused was also charged with uploading the same insulting remarks at the same time and date, under an account named "williamkhor87" with the intention to hurt others.
The offence falls under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 which provides for a maximum fine of RM50,000 or up to a year's jail, or both, upon conviction.
Deputy public prosecutor Aiza Ali Raman suggested RM10,000 bail, a gag order on the accused that restricted him from uploading any seditious remarks on any media and having the accused's passport surrendered to the court.
However, the accused's lawyer Rajsurian Pillai countered the suggestion by pleading for RM5,000 bail, and the accused must report to the nearest police station once a month.
He also pleaded for the court to restrict the accused from making any comments about the case, on social media.
The judge then ordered RM6,000 bail on the accused, a gag order that restricts William from commenting about the case on social media and also to report to the nearest police station once a month.
Wan Mohd Nurisham then fixed April 5 for re-mention.