KUALA LUMPUR: A Deepavali celebration in Segamat, Johor, turned tragic last Thursday when a violent altercation left one man dead.
Several others were arrested in the 8pm incident in Taman Sejati when N. Kesavan, 30, was fatally attacked.
Nine people, including two minors and two women, have been arrested in connection with the murder.
The suspects were brought to the Segamat magistrate's court this morning, where they were charged before Magistrate Rahimah Abdul Majid.
One suspect, an adult, has been charged with murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code. No plea was recorded as the murder falls under the High Court's jurisdiction.
A minor is facing charges under Section 201 for conspiring to conceal the weapon used in the crime, as well as Section 147 for rioting.
The remaining six suspects, including two women, have been charged under Section 147 for rioting.
One of the suspects was not formally charged but is being treated as a prosecution witness.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Siti Khalijah Khalid proposed a bail of RM9,000 for the underage suspect, but the judge allowed bail at RM2,000.
For the six people charged with rioting, Siti Khalijah recommended a bail of RM5,000 each.
The court set bail at RM2,500 for each of them.
The suspects were represented by lawyers Selvanteran V. Segaran and Datuk Shanmugam Ganesan.
Case management has been fixed for Dec 17.