SHAH ALAM (Feb 19): The Sessions Court here dismissed an application today by PKR Perak chief Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak to strike out portions of a suit filed by Muhammad Yusoff Rawther that refer to PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

A separate Sessions Court also dismissed an application by Anwar's press secretary, Tunku Nashrul Tunku Abaidah, to strike out portions of Yusoff's suit that also referred to the PKR president.

With the dismissal, the two statements of claim remained intact, according to a statement issued by Yusof's lawyer Mohd Haniff Khatri Abdulla.

The decision was made by Sessions judge Datuk Ishak Bakri in the suit against Tunku Nashrul and Sessions judge Fathiyah Idris in the matter against Farhash.

Ishak ordered Tunku Nashrul to pay RM1,000 costs to Yusoff and ordered the parties to file the necessary pre-trial documents before the next case management on March 20 while Fathyah ordered the same date for case management.

Lawyer Nasbal Harun appeared for Yusoff while Muhammad Azwar Ab Manab and Azrul Haziq appeared for Farhash and Tunku Nashrul.

Tunku Nashrul and Farhash wanted any references to Anwar to be expunged on the grounds that the suit was motivated by political reasons.

Yusoff, who was Anwar's research officer, had filed the suit against Farhash in September following the assaults he allegedly suffered at the PKR president's office in Petaling Jaya.

He filed a separate suit against Tunku Nashrul for defamation.