THE National Registration Department (NRD) and the Malaysia Islamic Development Department (Jakim) can be held in contempt if they defy a Court of Appeal ruling on illegitimate children, said the Malaysian Bar.

Malaysian Bar president George Varughese said until there is an order for a stay of execution, or until the decision is reversed by the Federal Court, all parties must respect and comply with the ruling.

“The Malaysian Bar urges all parties, especially the authorities, to abide by the decision of the Court of Appeal, and to respect the judiciary and the process of the administration of justice.

“To do otherwise would be an affront to the rule of law, and would lead Malaysia down the path of lawlessness,” Varughese said in a statement today, adding that he was shocked by the agencies’ statements.

The Court of Appeal in a landmark decision on July 25 allowed illegitimate children to take up the surname of the person acknowledging himself to be the father.

However, the director-generals of the NRD and Jakim have reportedly said their departments would instead adhere to a fatwa by the National Fatwa Committee in 2003, which disallows illegitimate children to use the surname of the father.

Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had also expressed support for the stand taken by the two agencies. – August 2, 2017.