The Court of Appeal today struck out Zakir Naik's appeal against a High Court’s decision that allowed former Batu Uban assemblyperson S Raveentharan’s application to transfer the suit filed by the independent speaker against him for alleged defamation from the High Court in Kuala Lumpur to the one in Penang.

This followed a decision by a three-member bench, comprising Yaacob Md Sam, M Gunalan and Hashim Hamzah, in allowing a preliminary objection raised by Raveentharan’s counsel over non-compliance of a mandatory provision by Zakir's solicitors...