The couple involved in the Penang cemetery case will be released today after the High Court reduced their original 12-month jail sentence to 28 days.
The revision effectively means they have already served their sentence as the 28 days were calculated from the date of their arrest until the day of the hearing.
Following the revision, the court maintained the couple’s conviction but set aside the original sentence.
Instead of serving one year in jail, the punishment was reduced to time already served, which Datuk Naran Singh described as the minimum appropriate sentence for the case.
Lawyer pushed for reduction over ‘excessive’ punishment
Datuk Naran said told WeirdKaya that the legal strategy focused on challenging the severity of the sentence rather than the conviction itself.
He argued that the initial 12-month jail term was too harsh, and submitted a summary to the court outlining why a reduced sentence was more appropriate. The High Court ultimately agreed and revised the sentence accordingly.
Datuk Naran also revealed that he represented the couple on a pro bono basis and personally handled the revision effort.
I’m satisfied with the outcome as it was the best possible result under the circumstances,” he added.
Couple expected to walk free today
With the revised sentence already served, the couple are expected to be released today.
The decision marks a significant turnaround from the earlier ruling, which had drawn public attention over the length of the original jail term.
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