Munawar's judgment on Thursday

The Federal Court has set Thursday to deliver its judgment on Dr Munawar A Anees’ appeal against his
MCPXsodomy conviction.

Before a three-member panel of judges this morning, lawyer Manjeet Singh Dhillon called for the court to let the High Court to hear Munawar's appeal.

The High Court has thrown out the case four years ago after Munawar, who is now living in United States, was not present at the hearing.
At the end of today's hearing, Chief Justice Zaki Azmi and Federal Court judges Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin and Nik Hashim Nik Abdul Rahman said they needed time to consider their submission.

Manjeet when contacted said they had submitted a 14-page application where he argued that Munawar had been denied justice when the Federal Court - the country's highest court - had previously dismissed his application without giving any reasons.

“My client was never presented the chance or allowed to present his case and therefore he has been the victim of a miscarriage of justice.

“He should be given the chance to present his case based on the merits of his case,” Manjeet told Malaysiakini in a phone interview.Six Month Jail ThenMunawar, a Pakistani-American writer who is a biologist by training and an internationally well-respected Islamic intellectual, was detained under the Internal Security Act on Sept 14, 1998.

The former aide and speech writer of ousted deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim was later charged alongside Anwar’s adopted brother, Sukma Darmawan Sasmitaat Madja and convicted after they had pleaded guilty to “allowing themselves to be sodomised” by Anwar.

They were said to have committed the offences at Anwar's residences in 1993 and 1998 but no specific dates or time were given. Both were sentenced to six months’ jail each.Munawar however in a statutory declaration issued Nov 7 ten years ago claimed that he was forced to make such confession following the brutal torture he had to endure under detention.