00:00A 53-year-old e-hailing driver in Seremban has been fined RM4,000
00:04after pleading guilty to posting a provocative video on Facebook
00:08that questioned the land status of a mosque.
00:11Magistrate Nurul Sakina Rosli handed down the fine against P. Mahendra Bupathi,
00:16ordering him to serve seven months in jail should he fail to pay.
00:20The charge relates to a video Mahendra uploaded to his Facebook account on February 27,
00:25in which he questioned the land status of Masjid Jamek Datuk Pandar Haji Ahmad along Jalan Rasa.
00:32In the same post, he asked whether a Hindu temple built beneath a bridge was considered illegal,
00:38drawing a comparison with the mosque, which is located under a flyover.
00:42He was charged under Section 505B of the Penal Code,
00:46which makes it an offence to make, publish or circulate any statement,
00:50rumour or report likely to cause fear or alarm to the public.
00:53The offence carries a maximum jail term of two years, a fine or both.
00:59Mahendra appeared in court without legal representation.
01:02In mitigation, he told the court he had no income after his car was damaged in an accident
01:07and was struggling to care for his ailing father.
01:10He pleaded for the minimum fine, expressed remorse and offered a public apology.
01:16He also disclosed he had to borrow from a moneylender to pay the fine.
01:20The prosecution, however, pushed for a stern sentence as a deterrent.
01:23He was charged with the
01:26He was charged with the
