“This issue was raised by the Pahang palace. You broke the rules and you misspoke, now you have to deal with it.

“Don’t politicise the matter. I will not respond and I have already told my ministers to leave it (to the courts),” Anwar said in a brief response to reporters on the sidelines of an event here today.

Yesterday, government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil insisted that Putrajaya was not behind Muhyiddin’s sedition charge, saying the investigation was triggered by a police report lodged by a representative of the Pahang palace.

He said the former prime minister’s sedition case was similar to that faced by Kedah menteri besar Sanusi Nor, which was initiated following a police report made by the Selangor palace.

On Tuesday, Muhyiddin claimed trial at the Gua Musang sessions court to a charge of making allegedly seditious remarks at a ceramah in the run-up to the recent Nenggiri by-election.

According to the charge sheet, the Perikatan Nasional chairman had questioned why he was not invited by the then king, Al-Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, to be sworn in as prime minister after the 15th general election, despite having the backing of 115 MPs.

Muhyiddin’s remarks led to 50 police reports lodged against him, and a rebuke from the Pahang palace.

Yesterday, opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin labelled Anwar and Pakatan Harapan leaders hypocrites for using the Sedition Act against Muhyiddin when they previously opposed the law and promised to abolish it if they came into power.