Underage sex : Can Shariah laws operate independently without interference from Federal Constitution?

FOR ILLUSTRATION PURPOSE ONLY

Leading social media news provider said a move by Kelantan police for cases of consensual sex with underage girls to be prosecuted in Shariah courts has come under fire, with two lawyers contending that such cases fall under Federal jurisdiction.

Encik Salim Bashir Bhaskaran

Reportedly interviewed by news portal FMT, Encik Salim Bashir Bhaskaran and Datuk N Sivananthan said the Federal Constitution provides that criminal laws enacted by Parliament apply to all individuals and take precedence over state shariah criminal laws, which are applicable only to Muslims.

Datuk N Sivananthan

They also said the Penal Code and the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 are sufficient to cover a wide range of sexual crimes and protect minors.

Their comments came in response to a statement by Kelantan police chief Datuk Yusoff Mamat on Thursday, 18 December, that cases involving consensual sexual relationships with girls aged 16 and below in Kelantan would be referred to the state Islamic religious department for action in the Shariah courts.

He said five cases had been referred to the department so far, and cases of consensual sex involving girls aged 17 and 18 would also be prosecuted in Shariah courts.

Under the Penal Code, sexual intercourse with a female under 16 constitutes statutory rape, regardless of consent, as the law assumes minors cannot fully understand or agree to sexual activity.

In criticising the move, Salim, a former Malaysian Bar president, cited a precedent set by the Federal Court in striking down as unconstitutional 16 provisions contained in a 2019 Kelantan state law setting up a Shariah criminal code.

The chief justice then, Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, in announcing the 8-1 majority decision, said the state assembly had no power to pass the provisions as part of the enactment as the offences in question were covered under federal law.

Salim also pointed out that in 2021, the Federal Court had declared invalid a provision of a Selangor state law, which made unnatural sex a shariah offence.

He said the ruling found the provision to be unconstitutional, as such offences fall under Parliament’s law-making powers, not those of the state legislature.

“Our penal laws cover everyone, irrespective of race or religion,” he told the news portal.

Sivananthan suggested that it would be discriminatory for Muslims in Kelantan to be treated differently from their counterparts in other parts of Malaysia.

He noted that the burdens of proof differ under federal and state criminal laws.

Sivananthan said the police, being a federal agency, are only accountable to the public prosecutor who makes the final decision to prosecute or otherwise.

He said legal and constitutional challenges, including contempt of the Federal Court rulings, could be brought against the Kelantan police.

“I wonder whether he (Yusoff) sought advice from the Attorney-General’s Chambers before embarking on this rather questionable course of action,” he said.

End©Permadu

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By Fauzi Kadir
Chief Editor

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