Wong Weng Luen, Lai Kae Bin, and Wan Ken Fei, aged between 29 and 48, pleaded not guilty after the charges were read before judge Noridah Adam.

They are accused of voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means to Andrew Teh, 47, at Restoran Hing Kee Bakuteh along Jalan Kepong at about 2am on May 7.

The charge was framed under Section 326 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34, which carries a jail term of up to 20 years, and is also punishable by a fine or whipping.

The court rejected a bail application by the trio’s counsel S Narasimhan and fixed June 15 for the submission of documents.

Narasimhan earlier urged the court to exercise its discretion and grant bail despite the non-bailable nature of the offence.

“Although news of the case has gone viral, it does not automatically deny the accused bail. Otherwise, it would be tantamount to trial by the media,” he said.

He argued that the accused would not abscond or interfere with the witnesses, would attend court proceedings as required, and were willing to comply with additional conditions, including reporting regularly to a police station until the disposal of the case.

Narasimhan said the three men – a carpenter, wireman, and funeral parlour worker – had also cooperated with the police throughout the investigation.

“The accused surrendered themselves at the Sentul police headquarters after a video of the incident went viral, and they have given their full cooperation to the police,” he said.

Narasimhan also submitted that although his clients had been charged with causing grievous hurt, the charge was based on the findings of a medical report that had yet to be tendered. He said there remained the possibility of an alternative charge being preferred.

He also raised concerns over overcrowding at Sungai Buloh prison, saying the current inmate population stands at about 6,000 despite a capacity of around 2,500.

“The situation at the prison is truly critical. The court must take this factor into consideration,” he said.

Deputy public prosecutor Nadia Eleena Jamaluddin Akbal maintained that the prosecution objected to bail, citing the gravity of the offence, the possibility of flight risk, and concerns that the accused could interfere with or influence witnesses.

Counsel Chia Hui Ming held a watching brief for the victim.