The Malaysian Insight

WHEN M. Indira Gandhi sought legal help to fight the unilateral conversion of her three children to Islam by her former husband 10 years ago, no lawyer wanted to touch the case, her former lawyer M. Kulasegaran said.

Kulasegaran, the lawyer turned human resource minister, said when Indira tried to look for a lawyer and could not find one, she approached him.

“Ten years ago, no one wanted the case. It was a losing case that had to do with religion and it was sensitive,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Kulasegaran, who is Ipoh Barat MP, was asked what more could be done to help Indira, who has yet to be reunited with her youngest daughter, Prasana Diksa, despite a court order to the police last year to find her former husband and child.

Muhammad Riduan Abdullah converted the 10-year-old to Islam when she was just 11 months old in March 2009, along with her two older siblings.

In 2016, the Federal Court ordered Riduan’s arrest after he disobeyed an earlier Ipoh High Court order to hand over Prasana to Indira. Then inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar was ordered to arrest Riduan, for contempt of court.

In January last year, the Federal Court nullified the unilateral conversion of Indira’s three children by Riduan, formerly known as K. Padmanathan, ruling that conversions needed the consent of both parents.

Despite the landmark ruling, Indira has yet to see Prasana, who has been with Riduan all these years. Their two older children, who are now young adults, live with Indira.

Speaking to The Malaysian Insight recently, Indira said she has yet to hear from the police on the search for Prasana, and felt betrayed by the justice system.

The former kindergarten teacher said she has exhausted all avenues and did not know who she could turn to, now that Kulasegaran is no longer representing her.

Kulasegaran said he could not look into Indira’s case further following his appointment as a minister in the Pakatan Harapan government, which required him to give up his law practice.

“The Ipoh High Court is to do the necessary with the police to locate Riduan and Prasana, and take action. I have asked other lawyers to help her, but I cannot force them.

“For your information, which you may not think as important, nobody in Malaysia wanted to take Indira’s case 10 years ago.

“I had gone to the high court, Federal Court and the Court of Appeal many times. The case cost my former law firm thousands of ringgit. I have done my public duty as so required.”

Kulasegaran said now as a minister, he was “doing many things behind the scene” but he could not divulge details.

“And I must mind my business as the minister of human resources. As much as I want to help her… if I am back in practice, I would be doing much more.

“Malaysia does not lack lawyers. There are 18,000 and I was just one of them,” said Kulasegaran, who had worked on Indira’s case pro bono.

In November last year, de facto law minister Liew Vui Keong said Putrajaya could not interfere in the search for Prasana as it is a litigation matter between Indira and Riduan.

Liew advised Indira to initiate contempt proceedings against Riduan. – February 15, 2019.