Zakir Ramli, 29, is accused of knowingly making and sending photos of an obscene nature, using the WhatsApp app, between 7.30am on May 20, 2021, and 3.02am on May 28, 2021.

The photographs were seen on May 28, 2021, at 12.11pm at a factory on Jalan Bukit Wang, Kampung Padang Panjang, Jitra.

The charge is framed under Section 233 (1) (a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) 1998 and punishable under Section 233(3) of the same law which provides for a maximum fine of RM50,000 or imprisonment for not more than one year, or both, upon conviction.

Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) prosecuting officer Nazrul Nizam Zameri asked the court to impose a bail of RM1,000 in one surety.

However, the accused, who was not represented by a lawyer, appealed for a lower bail amount as he is working part-time with a salary of around RM1,400 a month, and has to support his wife and a one-year-old child.

Judge Jean Sharmila Jesudason then allowed the accused bail of RM800 in one surety and set May 22 as the date for the submission of documents and the appointment of a lawyer.