The government will appeal to the Federal Court on the Court of Appeal’s decision in declaring the Voluntary Patrol Unit (PPS) was lawfully set up by the Penang government.

Attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali told Bernama in a text message that an application for leave to appeal to the Federal Court would be filed.

Yesterday, the Court of Appeal’s three-member bench led by Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat declared the PPS was lawfully established by the state government.

The court allowed the Penang government’s appeal to set aside the decision of the High Court in Penang which held that the PPS was illegal.

The Court of Appeal granted a certiorari order to the state government to quash the Nov 3, 2014 home minister’s order which declared PPS as an unlawful society.

On Nov 22, last year, the High Court dismissed the state government’s judicial review application, ruling that the PPS was unlawful because it was not registered under the Societies Act.

The Penang government had on Jan 27, 2015, filed a judicial review application to challenge the Home Ministry’s order in declaring the PPS as an illegal organisation.

The state government named the home minister, inspector-general of police and the Malaysian government as respondents in its judicial review application.

The PPS was formed in 2011 by the Penang state executive council, with the objective of assisting the state government to combat crime, and provide welfare, public safety and convenience to Penang residents.

Its members are volunteers.

Prior to the Home Ministry order, 157 PPS members were detained for allegedly taking part in the 2014 state-level Merdeka parade in Penang.

- Bernama