Wednesday, August 23, 2023

No blacklist, so comedy club owners withdraw court action








No blacklist, so comedy club owners withdraw court action


The two owners of Crackhouse Comedy Club have withdrawn their legal challenge over an alleged blacklist against the duo registering any business in Kuala Lumpur.

Lawyer Pravin Mahentharan, who is acting for Mohamad Rizal Johan Van Geyzel and Shankar R Santhiram, informed the Kuala Lumpur High Court this morning that they found out that Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) had merely withdrawn the club's permit club rather than impose a blacklist on the duo.

Today was initially set for hearing of the judicial review over the alleged blacklist that came on the heels of a controversial stand-up routine at the club in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur, in the middle of last year.

Siti Nuramira Abdullah, the woman who performed the controversial stand-up routine at the club on June 4 last year, has since been fined RM8,000 over the incident.

During open-court proceedings before judge Amarjeet Singh, Pravin explained that they had spoken to DBKL in July and found out that there was never such a blacklist, and that the authorities had merely taken back Crackhouse Comedy Club’s permit.


Mohamad Rizal Johan Van Geyzel


A legal representative for DBKL and its mayor confirmed with Amarjeet on what had transpired.

Amarjeet then struck out the judicial review and made no order as to costs.

What was revealed today contrasted with what then-deputy federal territories minister Jalaluddin Alias reportedly said on Aug 17 last year, where the media quoted him as saying Rizal had been permanently blacklisted from registering a business licence in Kuala Lumpur.

A few months later on Nov 27, following the then-deputy minister’s statement, the comedy club owners went to the civil court to challenge the alleged permanent blacklist against Rizal and Shankar.

Following the furore over the stand-up routine last year, Rizal had also been hauled to the criminal court where he claimed trial to charges made against him for creating and initiating the distribution of videos that touch on racial sensitivity on social media.

However, on July 7 this year, the criminal court fined Rizal RM8,000, following his guilty plea to one of the three charges under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.


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