‘Dullal Brothers’ Sathiskumar pleads guilty to one charge, claims trial to another

Dullal Brothers whose real name is B Sathiskumar, 44 of Setapak who uses the TikTok profile @dulal_brothers_360, pled guilty to the charge of posting lewd comments on social media to annoy others on June 30.

He was detained in connection to the cyberbully case that led to the death of TikTok influencer, A Rajeswary who is better known as Esha. Esha died on July 5.

He was charged under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) 1998 and faces a fine of up to RM50,000 or imprisonment of up to one year or both, with an additional fine of RM1,000 for each day the offence continues after conviction.

He also faced a second charge of posting lewd comments with the intention of outraging the modesty of Esha’s mother Puspa Rajagopal 56, on the same day at 10.15 pm.

Second charge

The second offence is framed under Section 509 of the Penal Code, which provides for imprisonment of up to five years or a fine or both.

Sathiskumar who is not represented claimed trial for the second charge.

DPP Mohd Sabri Othman stressed that Sathiskumar’s cyberbullying caused severe emotional stress to Esha and Puspa.

He urged the court to set a high bail amount at RM25,000 in one surety for each of the charges.

Sessions Court judge Siti Aminah Ghazali fixed bail at RM36,000 for both cases. She also ordered the accused to surrender his passport to the court until the disposal of his case and to report to the police station monthly.

As Sathiskumar had claimed trial to the second charge and wanted legal representation, Siti Aminah postponed the sentencing for the first charge, where he pleaded guilty under Section 233(1)(a) of the CMA, to give him time to find a lawyer. The case is set for mention on Aug 16.

He is out on bail after posting a bail of RM18,000.

In a related development, Shalini Periasamy, 35, was slapped with a fine of RM100 under the Minor Offences Act.