Kuala lumpur: The Kelantan state government is confident that the Syariah Criminal Offences (Kelantan) Bill 2026 was carefully drafted in accordance with the Federal Constitution and the jurisdiction of the State Legislative Assembly (DUN).

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Kelantan Deputy Menteri Besar Datuk Dr Mohamed Fadzli Hassan stated that the drafting process also involved constitutional experts to ensure the proposed provisions were aligned with the national legal framework. 'The Syariah Criminal Offences (Kelantan) Bill 2026 was drafted meticulously alongside constitutional experts and within the DUN's jurisdiction,' he remarked after the state executive council meeting at the Kota Darul Naim Complex.

He mentioned that the state government had considered the Federal Court's 2024 decision, which invalidated 16 provisions in the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code (I) Enactment 2019 due to the limits of the DUN's legislative powers. Mohamed Fadzli emphasized that the DUN, as the state-level legislative body, was responsible for enacting laws on matters within its jurisdiction, dismissing allegations that the bill was merely an attempt by the state government to demonstrate its power.

'As a legislative body, we are policymakers and accusations that we merely want to show off our power are untrue,' he asserted. On August 12, the Kelantan DUN passed the Syariah Criminal Offences (Kelantan) Bill 2026, which aims to streamline and strengthen the existing framework to make it more systematic, clear, and authoritative.