Lawyer Mior Nor Haidir Suhaimi, who represented Mahathir, said Justice Rozana Ali Yusoff fixed the date after an online case management held earlier today.
“A final case management will be held on July 14 to ensure all pre-trial directives have been complied with,” he said.
Counsel Shahril Madisa represented Zahid, a deputy prime minister and Umno president.
Mahathir, 97, filed the suit on July 20 last year, naming Zahid, 70, as defendant.
In his statement of claim, the former prime minister alleged that Zahid had defamed him during an Umno divisional meeting held in Kelana Jaya on July 30, 2017.
He said the statement was republished on Astro Awani’s YouTube channel and several online news portals, which were accessible by internet users without restrictions.
Mahathir claims the statement was meant to imply that he was not born a Malay or a Muslim, and that his original name was “Mahathir son of Iskandar Kutty”.
He says the statement suggested that he claimed to be a Malay when he became the prime minister for political and personal advantage.
He also claims the statement belittled Malaysians of Indian Muslim descent.
The former Pejuang chairman and former Langkawi MP says the statement has ruined his reputation as a responsible politician who cared for the welfare of the people.
He says it gave the impression that he was dishonest, untrustworthy, selfish, cunning and deceptive for personal gain.
Mahathir is demanding general, exemplary and excessive damages in addition to an injunction to prevent Zahid or his agents from commenting, repeating or causing the publication of the statement.
He is also seeking a court order that Zahid issue an unconditional oral and written apology, costs and other appropriate relief.
Zahid, in his defence filed on Aug 17, denies that the statement was made maliciously or to slander and harm Mahathir’s public reputation.
He claims that the name “Mahathir son of Iskandar Kutty” referred to an individual based on the information in an old copy of an identity card, and said he also had no control over the republication of the statement made on any media platform.