Kuala pilah: Badrul Hisham Shaharin, widely recognized by his moniker Chegubard, pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here today to the charge of disseminating seditious material against the Negeri Sembilan Royal Institution through his Facebook account last month. The political activist, aged 48, entered this plea before Judge Datin Surita Budin following the reading of the charge.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the charge alleges that Chegubard published seditious content on Facebook under the account Che GuBard on May 26 at about 8:30 pm in Kuala Pilah. He faces charges under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948, which could result in a maximum fine of RM5,000 or a prison term of up to three years, or both, if convicted.

Deputy public prosecutor Datuk Ahmad Sazali Omar recommended a bail of RM10,000 and requested a gag order to prevent Badrul Hisham from making any statements about the Negeri Sembilan Royal Institution. In response, Badrul Hisham's legal representative, Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali, sought a reduction of bail to RM2,500 and opposed the proposed gag order against his client.

The court decided to set bail at RM5,000 with one surety and imposed an additional requirement for the accused to report to the nearest police station monthly. The court rejected the request for a gag order and scheduled the next case mention for August 3.