KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here has allowed the Crackhouse Comedy Club’s co-owners to challenge the Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s (DBKL) decision to revoke its business licence.
Justice Amarjeet Singh granted leave to co-owners Rizal van Geyzel and Shankar R Santhiram to commence their judicial review bid against DBKL at a court proceeding today.
Rizal and Shankar want the court to quash DBKL’s decision, made on July 30 last year, to revoke the licence, as well as to set aside a ruling that blacklists them from registering any other business in the city.
They allege that the decision was “irrational” and affected their livelihoods.
The duo have also sought a declaration that the decision was unconstitutional.
The comedy club’s owners were represented by lawyers Sangeet Kaur Deo and Harshaan Zamani.
The blacklisting followed the suspension of the comedy club’s licence by DBKL last July over a viral video clip showing a stand-up comedian removing her baju kurung to reveal a dress underneath during a performance at the club.
The woman, Siti Nuramira Abdullah, was fined RM8,000 by the Kuala Lumpur sessions court last month after pleading guilty to a charge of uttering words with the deliberate intention of hurting the feelings of others.
Rizal was also arrested when several old videos of controversial comedy performances resurfaced.
He was charged in the sessions court with three counts of uploading videos on his three social media platforms that allegedly touched on racial and religious sensitivities.