KUALA LUMPUR (March 25): The Attorney General's Chambers has confirmed that several individuals, including directors of KK Supermart & Superstore Sdn Bhd and its supplier, will be charged over the now-recalled sale of socks bearing the word 'Allah'.

They will be charged for intentionally hurting the feelings of Muslims by displaying the socks for sale, the AGC said in a statement.

KK Supermart and its directors will be charged under Section 298 of the Penal Code for ‘hurting religious feelings’, while its supplier Xin Jian Chang Sdn Bhd and its directors will be charged under Section 109 for abetting in the act.

People familiar with the case had told The Edge earlier on Monday that a total of five people are expected to be charged at the Shah Alam Sessions Court on Tuesday.

If convicted under Section 298, one can be jailed up to one year or fined or both. Section 109 calls for the same punishment as the criminal charges they’re accused of abetting.

The controversy arose when photographs of socks bearing the word 'Allah' that were sold at one of KK Mart’s branches, went viral last week. KK Mart has issued an apology over the matter, which it also put up on large electronic displays and cash registers at its outlets nationwide, and confirmed that sale of the socks had been stopped.

KK Mart has also terminated its contract with the supplier, against whom it is taking legal action. The supplier, which has since shut its business, claimed that manufacturers in China wrongly sent the socks, which were subsequently overlooked.