SHAH ALAM: Eight people pleaded not guilty in the Syariah High Court here today to charges linked to the deviant sect, Tuhan Harun.
The three men and five women had their charges read separately before Syarie judge Dr Zainal Abidin Kusmin.
They were charged with making false claims by declaring themselves as "god clones", posting in Telegram chat groups claiming that Harun is god and conspiring to make similar false claims through the same application.
The charges, under sections 8B and 46B of the Syariah Criminal Enactment (Selangor) 1995, carry a maximum fine of RM5,000, imprisonment for up to three years, or both, upon conviction.
Zainal Abidin allowed oral bail for all the accused with two local sureties and set the case mention for Monday.
Meanwhile, Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) director Datuk Mohd Shahzihan Ahmad, in a statement, said the eight were arrested during a raid on premises in Bandar Baru Salak Tinggi, Sepang, about 2.30pm yesterday.
"Intelligence gathering revealed that the group's profile and modus operandi were similar to and closely related to the Tuhan Harun teachings," he said.
He said Jais also confiscated several devices, including mobile phones, laptops, tablets, and documents related to the teachings during the raid.