Perikatan Nasional cleared to pursue judicial review against RoS

The High Court decision represents a partial victory for the opposition coalition, which sought both the right to challenge the RoS decision and an interim stay pending the outcome of its legal challenge. While the court permitted the judicial review application to proceed, it declined to grant the interim relief sought by Perikatan Nasional.

The Registrar of Societies had previously suspended Perikatan Nasional's party registration, a move the coalition has contested. The judicial review process will allow the court to examine whether the RoS decision was legally justified and procedurally sound.

The ruling means Perikatan Nasional can now pursue its case through the courts, though it must do so without the protection of an interim stay that would have suspended the RoS action while litigation continues. The coalition must weigh its options as it prepares its substantive arguments for the judicial review hearing.

The outcome underscores the delicate balance courts must strike between allowing challenges to administrative action and avoiding disruption to regulatory decisions that have already taken effect. Perikatan Nasional's legal team is expected to present its full arguments at the next scheduled hearing date.