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The Internal Security Act detainee’s trial, which was scheduled to begin at 9am in front of Sessions Court judge Sabariah Othman, was delayed as she ordered the court to stand down until Uthayakumar, a lawyer, was produced in court.

The four-member prosecution team, led by DPP Raja Rozela Raja Toran, said it would be presenting four witnesses today. Uthayakumar was represented by M. Manogaran and N. Surendran. He was among five Hindraf leaders detained under the ISA last December for their role in the movement.

The defence asked the court to stand down slightly after 11am as they wanted to speak to their client.

Uthayakumar was in court for his first public appearance since December 2007, when he and four other Hindraf leaders were arrested and imprisoned without trial for allegedly inciting racial hatred.

Uthayakumar's group has returned to the spotlight after the government banned it last week and declared it an "extremist group" that was "detrimental to public order and security."

The group shot to prominence last November when it led tens of thousands of ethnic Indians in a rare street protest calling for an end to pro-Malay policies and better opportunities for Indians, who are near the bottom of Malaysia's social ladder.

Uthayakumar, a key organiser of the rally, was charged with sedition in December for publishing material on a website that accused the government of "ethnic cleansing" policies that included attacking and killing ethnic Indians.

He denounced the charge today as a "malicious persecution," and stressed that his months in detention have not softened his opposition towards the government.

"They are being vindictive," Uthayakumar, 47, told reporters in court, where he wore rumpled old clothes and sported a new beard. "I will fight to the end. I think I've become stronger as a result of my incarceration."

Uthayakumar faces up to three years in prison if convicted of sedition, but it was not immediately clear how that would affect his current detention under the Internal Security Act, which provides for indefinite imprisonment for people accused of threatening national security.

More than 100 supporters thronged the court amid tight police security. The ban on Uthayakumar's group meant that anyone who joined activities associated with it can be prosecuted and face up to five years in prison.

The ethnic Indian protest last year was considered a watershed in national politics, emboldening Malaysians unhappy with the government and boosting opposition parties to spectacular gains in general elections in March.

Malay Muslims account for nearly two-thirds of Malaysia's 27 million people while ethnic Chinese and Indians, who are mostly non-Muslims, are the largest minorities. The government denies discriminating against minorities.