Lawyer Rajesh Nagarajan said the injunction application was filed in the Kuala Terengganu High Court and served on the defendants on Jan 6.

The two defendants, the state government and Besut district council, meanwhile filed applications to strike out the lawsuit on Jan 1 and Dec 31, respectively.

The court has fixed Jan 15 for case management on all three applications.

Dr Kartini Farah Abdul Rahim, S Mukunnan, Hong Hai San, and S Shashi Kumar filed the suit against the state government and Besut district council last month over the allegedly unlawful killing of Kopi, a stray dog, in October.

The plaintiffs contend that the killing of Kopi by a council enforcement officer violated Sections 29(e) and 30(1) of the Animal Welfare Act 2015 (AWA).

They want a declaration that the shooting of animals is prohibited by law unless it falls within the exceptions listed in Section 30(2) of the AWA, including that the killing is authorised by a veterinary authority, is necessary to prevent an imminent danger to human life, or is carried out to control the spread of disease.

The plaintiffs also want a declaration that Sections 9(1) and (2) of the Dog Licensing By-Laws (Besut District Council) 1990 infringe Sections 29(e) and 30(1) of the AWA.

In March last year, a video of Kopi playing with a stray cat went viral on social media.

On Oct 6, it was announced on Instagram account “My Forever Doggo” that Kopi had been shot dead by the authorities in Besut during a stray culling operation earlier that day.