High court ruling sought in conversion case

IPOH: A woman challenging the conversion of her three children to Islam by their Muslim-convert father is seeking leave for a judicial review by the High Court here to quash two decisions handed down by the Syariah Court.

M. Indira Gandhi filed separate applications in the civil court earlier this month to quash her children’s conversion, her lawyer M. Kulase-garan said.

She is also seeking a judicial review to quash the Syariah Court’s decision to grant custody of her children to their father, Mohd Ridzuan Abdullah (formerly K. Patmanathan).

“The court has ordered the husband’s lawyer to file submissions on whether the High Court of Malaya has jurisdiction over the matter.

“If the High Court decides that it has no power, then it will not decide on all other issues,” Kulasegaran told reporters outside the High Court here yesterday.

He added that the High Court had set Sept 4 and Oct 20 to hear the submissions on each of the respective applications.

Meanwhile, Indira Gandhi’s application for custody of her children has been fixed for hearing on Nov 2.

Kulasegaran said that Justice Wan Afrah Wan Ibrahim, who heard the matter in chambers, expressed concern that the children had not seen their mother for months.

news source from - the star 25/08/2009
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/8/25/courts/4584539&sec=courts