Lawyer Rosli Dahlan, who represented Muhyididin, said the injunction was obtained this evening following an urgent application before High Court Judge Mohd Firus Jaffril.
“The judge granted an interim injunction pending the disposal of the inter parte hearing,” he told FMT in a text message.
Earlier today, Muhyiddin filed a defamation suit against Puad and also applied for a certificate of urgency for the interim injunction.
According to lawyers, the interim injunction would remain enforced until Puad or his lawyers set aside the order.
On Feb 16, Muhyiddin sent a legal notice to Puad demanding a public apology and compensation of RM10 million for allegedly defaming him.
Among other things, he demanded Puad to unequivocally remove a Feb 9 posting on his Facebook page under the name “Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi” that had statements on quarantine.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in a statement strongly denied claims made by Puad that a three-day quarantine order had been gazetted for ministers returning from official trips abroad solely because the prime minister did not want to be quarantined after returning from his official visit to Indonesia.
In the statement, the PMO said Muhyiddin had been handed the home surveillance order and given the observation wristband to wear as soon as he arrived from Jakarta on Feb 5 and that he (Muhyiddin) was undergoing quarantine at home.
“The slander hurled by Puad Zarkashi is malicious and aimed at tarnishing the good name of the prime minister,” the statement had read.
In the statement of claim filed today, Muhyiddin said the disputed post contained plainly untrue, unsubstantiated and mischievous statements to defame him.
Each of the words in the post or statement by natural, ordinary meaning or by innunendo meant he (Muhyiddin) and his entourage refused to be quarantined for 10 days upon their trip to Jakarta.
It said that the statement implied that the health minister issued a new order via a federal gazette that ministers who returned from official overseas trips were subject to a three-day quarantine only, thereby overruling the health director-general’s direction.
It said Puad’s statement implied that Muhyiddin abused his power to overrule the director-general and ministers were given preferential treatment.
The statement also implied that Muhyiddin had no regard for the rule of law, he is selfish, and unfit to be prime minister.
It said Puad failed to verify his claim and refused to remove his post despite a letter of demand sent to him.
It said the Facebook post seriously injured Muhyiddin’s integrity and eroded public confidence in him.
“It has caused the plaintiff to be brought to into public scandal, odium, contempt and disrepute,” it said.
Muhyiddin is seeking damages, a permanent injunction to restrain Puad from making any remarks on the matter and an unconditional apology.
He also wants all news portals which published Puad’s statement to remove defamatory articles and also prominently publish apologies.
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