Court orders RELA to pay RM100,000 in damages to woman victim

Sometimes, there is good news and this is one of them - Rela man told to pay ex-GRO RM100,000 in damages.

I still say that the government must immediately abolish RELA - only professional full-time public servants should be used to enforce the law. If there is inadequate public servants, then just employ more.

The practice of using these 'volunteer vigilantes' must come to an immediate end. The Malaysian Bar has called for it and so many other justice-loving organisations and persons have also reiterated this call time after time..

The High Court today ordered a member of the Rela voluntary corps to pay a former guest relations officer RM100,000 in damages for taking a picture of her relieving herself in a truck five years ago.

Justice Datuk Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat also told Mohamad Tahir Osman, 45, to pay all the costs and eight percent interest on the damages from the day of judgement until full settlement to Maslinda Ishak, 31, now a dental nurse.

The judge said that what Tahir did was outside the scope of his duty which was to maintain security and he did it purely on his own accord. Therefore, he was wholly responsible for his action on the plaintiff, she added.

She said that in taking the picture, Tahir had injured Maslinda emotionally.

The incident happened after Maslinda and several colleagues were arrested by Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department (Jawi) enforcement officers and Rela members during a raid at Kelab De Vegas, Jalan Imbi, here at about 11.30pm on March 21, 2003.

After the arrest, they were led into a truck. At about 12.50am, when the truck was at Jalan Jejaka 5, Taman Maluri, Cheras, Maslinda asked to go to the toilet but was denied.

Instead, she was scolded and told relieve herself in the truck. She did what she was told behind a scarf held several friends but suddenly Tahir came, pushed away the friends, pulled the scarf and took her picture with his camera.

Maslinda brought the suit on April 25, 2003 to seek RM5 million in damages from Tahir, the Rela director-general, Jawi and Government of Malaysia.

Judge Tengku Maimun ruled that the Rela director-general, Jawi and Government of Malaysia could not be associated to what Tahir did.

Maslinda was represented by Sangeet Kaur Deo while Tahir did not have a lawyer. Senior Federal Counsel Azizan Md Arshad and Wan Roslan Wan Ismail acted for the three other defendants.

On April 16, 2003, the Magistrate’s Court sent Tahir to four months behind bars after he pleaded guilty to outraging Maslinda’s modesty. - New Straits Times, 11/9/2008 - Rela man told to pay ex-GRO RM100,000 in damages.