Three Men Trio Plead Not Guilty Over Puchong Arson Attack on Cikgu Chandra’s Wife’s Cars

PETALING JAYA, July 7 — Three men entered pleas of not guilty at the Sessions Court here today to charges of deliberately torching three vehicles belonging to the wife of prominent social activist S. Chandrasegaran, widely known as ‘Cikgu Chandra’, during a violent early-morning arson incident in March.

The three accused—tow-truck driver A. Kumaran, 34; security guard S. Kisshen Nair, 32; and lorry driver P. Surendran, 37—claimed trial after the criminal charges were formally read before Judge Noor Ruzilawati Mohd Nor. They are jointly charged with committing mischief by fire on two Perodua vehicles and a Proton automobile owned by 50-year-old M. Sri Uma Mahesvary.

According to the prosecution’s case, the retaliatory offense resulted in estimated financial losses of RM80,000. The incident occurred at approximately 3.00 am on March 10 at a private residence located in Taman Kinrara, Puchong.

The trio were formally charged under Section 435 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the same Code, which penalizes mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to cause damage. Upon conviction, the statutory framework provides for a maximum penalty of 14 years imprisonment and a potential liability to a fine.

During the arraignment, Deputy Public Prosecutor Nurfadzlin Mahmad Zulhasnan vehemently fought against the granting of bail, asserting the severe nature of the offense. “The offence is serious in nature and does not merit it,” the prosecutor argued to the court.

Nurfadzlin added that should the Sessions Court choose to exercise its judicial discretion to allow the suspects to go free pending trial, the prosecution proposed a bail amount of RM10,000 for each accused under stringent secondary conditions. This included requiring the men to report periodically to the nearest police station, to strictly refrain from interfering with or intimidating any prosecution witnesses, and to immediately surrender their international passports to the court.

Defending the three individuals, defense lawyer Vinesh Segar pushed for the court to grant reasonable bail terms, pointing out that his clients had stable local roots and had demonstrated compliant behavior since their arrest. Vinesh applied for bail on the grounds that his clients were each supporting families and, having not yet been proven guilty, had also given their full cooperation throughout the course of the investigation.

After weighing arguments from both the defense and prosecution, Judge Noor Ruzilawati permitted bail to be set at RM8,000 for each accused with one surety. However, the court explicitly implemented the additional supervisory conditions sought by the prosecution to preserve the integrity of the impending trial.

Prior to today’s court appearance, the case had drawn massive public interest within the Klang Valley. Previously, the media reported that police had opened two investigation papers relating to the incident of mischief and criminal intimidation involving activist ‘Cikgu Chandra’ that occurred in Taman Kinrara, following separate reported instances of property damage and intimidation aimed at the family’s household.

-NMT