Introduction

On 6 August 1998 the parties magnanimously agreed that this judgment would bind ten (10) other originating summonses, namely:

(1) OS 24-275-1998(1) where the defendants were Gopal a/l Panikar and nine others;

(2) OS 24-276-1998(1) where the defendants were Manisvaram a/l Subramaniam and two others;

(3) OS 24-277-1998(1) where the defendants were Licmy a/p R. Sinna and four others;

(4) OS 24-279-1998(1) where the defendants were Panickiraji a/l Gopal and four others;

(5) OS 24-278-1998(1) where the defendants were Koonnusagaran a/l Murugan and five others;

(6) OS 24-488-1998(1) where the defendants were Ravindran a/l Raman and nine others;

(7) OS 24-492-1998(1) where the defendants were Narayenna Moorthy a/l Thaliappan and eight others;

(8) OS 24-693-1998(1) where the defendants were Ambok Sulung bin Hj. Ambok Attak and two others;

(9) OS 24-694-1998(1) where the defendants were Abdul Rahim bin Ayub and two others; and

(10) OS 24-695-1998(1) where the defendants were Azhar bin Ahmad and another.

Subsequent affidavits filed by the defendants revealed that the facts in the last three cases, namely: (1) OS 24-693-1998(1);

(2) OS 24-694-1998(1); and

(3