After spending 20 days in several police lock-ups nationwide for various offences under the Sedition Act, activist Ali Abd Jalil is nowhere near freedom after cops arrested him for the fourth time in a bid to keep him behind bars.

Ali's lawyer New Sin Yew said his client was due to be released at 12.30pm today after police managed only to obtain a one-day remand extension yesterday despite requesting for three days.

"At 9am, Ali was brought by police to the Johor Baru Magistrate's Court to be released, but right after the release, he was immediately re-arrested and taken to Nusajaya district police headquarters.

"They (cops) immediately made a remand application and were given three days' (detention for) Ali," he told Malaysiakini when contacted.

Prior to this, Ali was charged at the Selayang Sessions Court before being re-arrested and charged at the Shah Alam Sessions Court, both for purportedly insulting the monarchy under the Sedition Act.

Subsequently he was again arrested and taken to the Johor Baru Selatan district police headquarters for another allegedly seditious remark.

New said the arrest this time was for the same offence but police had used a different section under the same act to detain him longer.

"They want to charge him eventually but what they are doing now appears to be trying to punish him.

"Even murder suspects are only remanded for 14 days. Ali has been in detention for 20 days and with the latest remand, it will be 23 days," he said.

New criticised the police for taking Ali along on a "road show" across the country by repeatedly arresting him and bringing him to various police district headquarters.

"The police can centralise all the investigation in one police station. There is no need to drag him all over the country.

"If every time they arrest him and bring to a different police station for detention, then the detention becomes indefinite.

"That is wrong and goes against the intention of the criminal justice system," he added.