Abdul Hamid CJ (Malaya):

[1] This is an appeal by the Public Prosecutor against sentence. The four respondents were convicted in the High Court at Kuala Trengganu on February 21, 1984. The first and fourth respondents were charged with the following charge:

"That you on June 10, 1983 at about between 1.20 pm and 1.55 pm at an unnumbered building, Kampung Kerandang, Besut, in the District of Besut, in the State of Trengganu, not being a person appointed under the Administration of Islamic Law Enactment (Trengganu No 4 of 1955) as a Bilal, acted in a manner likely to prejudice the maintenance of unity on grounds of religion between persons professing the Islamic Religion in Kampung Kerandang by acting as a Bilal during the performance of Friday Prayers in the said building, and that you thereby committed an offence under sub-section 1 of s 298A punishable under sub-section 2 of the said section of the Penal Code."

[2] The second respondent was charged under the same section but as an Imam and the third respondent as a Khatib.

[3] The learned Judge bound them over for a period of 3 years to keep the peace and be of good behaviour in one surety in the sum of $1,000 and to appear an