High Court rejects Sheikh Ponda's application

For failing to specify a date and a name in his affidavit, Judge Rose Temba of the High Court in Dar es Salaam threw away Sheikh Ponda Issa Ponda’s application to review a decision by a lower court.

The High Court in Dar es Salaam Zone yesterday rejected the outspoken Muslim Cleric’s application in which he wanted the court to review a decision by the Morogoro Resident Magistrates’ Court that refused to withdraw sedition charges against him.

At a previous hearing, the prosecution asked the High Court to turn down the said application for ‘legal defects.’

The Morogoro Resident Magistrates’ Court recently refused to withdraw seditious charges against sheikh Ponda who is also the secretary of the Council of Islamic Organisations in Tanzania.

The Muslim cleric was arraigned in the Morogoro court on August 19, this year, facing counts of disobeying a lawful order to abstain from incitement to commit offences.

Prosecuting State Attorney Benard Kongola alleged that the accused committed the offences on August 10, this year, at Ndege Primary School ground in Morogoro municipality.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN