Indira files application in High Court

IPOH : M. Indira Gandhi, the former wife of a Muslim convert who is involved in a custody battle for her youngest daughter, filed an application in the High Court here today to compel the Inspector-General of Police to execute the warrant of arrest against her former husband.
The kindergarten school teacher was accompanied by her counsel, M. Kulasegaran, to file the application against Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar at the High Court registry.
She filed a mandamus order against Khalid to arrest Mohd Ridzuan Abdullah (formerly known as K. Pathmanathan) and locate her daughter Prasana Diksa, now six.
Indira, when met outside the court, told reporters, “I now hope the IGP will act on it.. I want to see my daughter as soon as possible.”
Kulasegaran said police did not meet him when he went to Bukit Aman police headquarters to discuss the matter last Thursday.
He said he had earlier informed the deputy IGP that he wanted to meet the investigations officer to discuss the case but after waiting for two hours a woman officer called and asked him to come back the next day. “She promised to call but until now there is no communication,” he said, hoping the case would be solved as soon as possible.
The application followed Khalid’s statement that police would not arrest the father but monitor the safety of the child.
Last Wednesday, Khalid was reported as saying that the police stand not to exercise both the civil court and syariah court decisions in child custody cases involving one parent embracing Islam remained unchanged.
He had also said the Attorney-General Chamber’s was reviewing the case involving Mohd Ridzuan and another similar case involving a Muslim in Seremban for an amicable solution and that police would not enforce either the syariah or civil court orders in both cases until a solution is reached.
On May 30, Judicial Commissioner Lee Swee Seng issued an order to arrest Mohd Ridzuan after he repeatedly failed to return the girl.
In April, 2009, Mohd Ridzuan took away Prasana Diksa and converted the child and her siblings Tevi Darsiny, then 12, and Karan Dinish, then 11, to Islam purportedly without Indira’s consent.
He also managed to obtain custody of all three children from the syariah High Court.
The High Court here later granted Indira full custody of the children on March 11, 2010.