PUTRAJAYA: Two Court of Appeal judges recused themselves from hearing an intervener application in two interfaith child custodial disputes.
A three-man panel, chaired by judge Datuk Linton Albert, ruled that panel members Datuk Mohd Zawawi Salleh and Datuk Umi Kalthum Abdul Majid decided not to hear the Attorney-General's (AG) application.
The application was for the AG to be made a party in custodial tussles between M. Indira Gandhi and her former husband K. Pathmanathan, whose Muslim name is Muhammad Ridzuan Abdullah, in Ipoh, Perak, and S. Deepa and her former husband N. Viran, whose Muslim name is Izwan Abdullah, in Seremban, Negri Sembilan.
Deepa's counsel K. Shanmuga today raised an objection against the panel hearing both matters as Mohd Zawawi and Umi Kalthum were involved in discussions on family law reforms between 2007 and 2009.
"The meetings were to discuss law reform to handle cases like this," he said, referring to the present interfaith custodial disputes between Hindu mothers and Muslim fathers.
The panel adjourned proceedings to Sept 10 to hear the intervener application with a newly-reconstituted panel.
Senior federal counsel Suzana Atan represented the AG while counsel M. Kulasegaran represented Indira Gandhi.
Shanmuga, when met after proceedings, said Mohd Zawawi and Umi Kalthum were heads of two Attorney-General's Chambers divisions which assisted the AG during the law reform talks.