The blasphemy trial of Jakarta's Christian governor has been postponed until one day after the capital heads to the polls next week, as prosecutors prepare what punishment they want the court to hand down.
His detractors say the delay is an injustice and was influenced by non-legal factors.
As Basuki Tjahaja Purnama - commonly referred to as Ahok - has been busy mounting his campaign for why the people in the 10 million strong Indonesian capital should keep him on as governor, he has also been going to court to defend himself against accusations of blasphemy since December last year.
Prosecutors were on Tuesday scheduled to tell the court what sentence they wanted meted out to him.
But instead prosecutor Ali Mukartono said he was not ready and asked for a further two weeks to prepare submissions.
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Jakarta governor Ahok's blasphemy trial to proceed: judge
The Jakarta court granted him one, postponing the trial until April 20 - one day after the capital will choose between Ahok and his rival, former education minister Anies Baswedan.
Outside court, prosecution witness and activist with the Islamic organisation Muhammadiyah, Pedri Kasman, said the postponement was a blow to "people's sense of justice".
"(It) was clearly arranged and agreed upon after negotiations outside the courtroom," he told reporters.
"It is very natural if after this the public perceived this case had been intervened or was influenced by something outside the laws."
Ahok's lawyer Sirra Prayuna simply stated they were ready to hear the prosecutor's request and had prepared to give their defence within the week.
Religious and ethnic tensions have marred the gubernatorial election, with numerous large scale protests by hardline Islamic groups calling for Ahok's jailing over the comments he made about the Koran.
Ahok, who is of Chinese descent, had criticised his detractors for using a Koranic verse to dissuade people from voting for him because he was a non-Muslim.
He faces up to five years imprisonment if convicted.
If Ahok were to be found guilty and sentenced to prison over the charge of blasphemy he would still retain the governorship until all legal avenues had been exhausted.
His deputy Djarot Saiful Hidayat would then take over.
