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A 20-YEAR-OLD woman accused of abetting the murder of a university student will remain in custody after the High Court found no basis to grant her bail, underscoring the gravity of the charge and the absence of any special circumstances warranting her release.
High Court judge Datuk Aslam Zainuddin dismissed the bail application filed by D. Thineswary yesterday after reviewing the case papers in full.
Defence lawyer Mohamed Baharudeen Mohamed Ariff confirmed the decision, saying: "Bail was rejected as the court ruled that, after perusing all the case papers, there were no special circumstances warranting bail."
He added that the defence was considering its next move.
"Baharudeen said they would explore the possibility of filing an appeal at the Court of Appeal, pending further instructions from his client."
Thineswary, who is charged with abetting murder, is scheduled to stand trial in March 2028.
The case centres on the death of Maniishapriet Kaur Akhara, a Bachelor of Physiotherapy student from Kuching, Sarawak, who was found dead in her condominium unit in Cyberjaya on June 24 last year.
Maniishapriet’s body was discovered by a friend who raised the alarm after noticing injuries on her body, prompting a police report.
Initial investigations found no signs of forced entry into the condominium and no evidence of sexual assault. A post-mortem examination later concluded that the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head.
In connection with the same case, odd-job worker M. Darvien, also 20, was charged with murder, while Thineswary was charged with abetment. Both were charged in July last year at the Sepang magistrate’s court.
During a hearing two weeks ago, Baharudeen argued that his client should be released on bail pending trial, maintaining that the prosecution had failed to establish reasonable grounds linking Thineswary to the alleged abetment.
The application was opposed by the prosecution. Deputy public prosecutor Raja Zaizul Faridah Raja Zaharudin argued that Thineswary’s arrest, a subsequent 14-day remand and the decision to charge her provided relevant inferences of her involvement in the offence.
Raja Zaizul Faridah appeared for the prosecution alongside Ahmad Iqbal Azman, while Thineswary was also represented by lawyer Joel Ruben John.
Following the High Court’s ruling, Thineswary will remain in custody unless the decision is overturned on appeal. - January 30, 2026