PUTRAJAYA, March 6 — The Federal Court has fixed July 31 to hear former army pathologist Col R. Kunaseegaran's application for leave to review its earlier decision upholding his conviction and death sentence for the murder of deputy public prosecutor Datuk Kevin Morais.
His counsel Jasmine Cheong informed Bernama that the date was set during case management before Federal Court deputy registrar Rohaiza Hamzah today.
On July 1 last year, the Federal Court upheld Kunaseegaran's conviction and death sentence for Morais' murder.
The apex court also affirmed the convictions of two other accused, unemployed S. Nimalan, 33, and moneylender S. Ravi Chandran, 55, but commuted their death sentences to life imprisonment.
Nimalan was sentenced to 35 years' imprisonment and 12 strokes of the cane, while Ravi Chandran received 40 years' imprisonment. Ravi Chandran was spared caning as he is above 50.
The previous Federal Court bench, chaired by then-Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat (now retired), upheld Kunaseegaran's death sentence, noting that he had withdrawn his appeal against the conviction.
The same bench also discharged and acquitted three other individuals. R. Dinishwaran, 34; A K. Thinesh Kumar, 33; and M. Vishwanath, 36, of the murder charge.
Morais, 55, was reported missing on September 4, 2015. His body was discovered on September 16 that year, encased in a cement-filled oil drum in Persiaran Subang Mewah, Subang Jaya.
On July 10, 2020, the High Court convicted all six men and sentenced them to death for the murder of Morais between 7am and 8pm on September 4, 2015, somewhere along Jalan Dutamas Raya Sentul and No. 1, Jalan USJ 1/6D, Subang Jaya.
The Court of Appeal dismissed their appeals on March 14, 2024. Kunaseegaran thereafter filed an application for leave to review on November 14 last year.
In his notice of motion, Kunaseegaran, now 63, is seeking a rehearing of his appeal before the Federal Court, claiming to have suffered a grave miscarriage of justice and asserting that he is entitled to a proper and fair trial.
