Lawyer Marcel Jude and two businesswomen had earlier this month filed an application to stop the state election in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

They wanted to nullify the consent given by Sabah Governor Juhar Mahiruddin to dissolve the state legislative assembly, but have now withdrawn the latter as the first respondent at the High Court here.

Their decision comes after the court earlier today struck out the bid for judicial review by 33 Sabah assemblymen who challenged Juhar’s consent to dissolve the assembly.

However, the trio are still maintaining their application for the Election Commission (EC) chairman to put on hold the snap election during the recovery movement control order (RMCO) period.

High Court judge Ismail Brahim has set Sept 14 for the hearing.

In their filing earlier this month, Jude and businesswomen Magret Binsing and Tessa Romana had sought an order to prevent the EC chairman from conducting a state election unless the RMCO provisions were lifted.

They also wanted the court to consider an Erinford injunction against Juhar and the EC chairman until former Sabah chief minister Musa Aman’s appeal on the rightful state leader was concluded at the Federal Court.

Earlier today, the High Court here dismissed the judicial review application by the assemblymen against Juhar on grounds that the governor’s actions were not justiciable in a court of law.