PUTRAJAYA: Kindergarten teacher M. Indira Gandhi broke down outside the Court of Appeal today following its 2-1 decision that upheld the Islamic conversion of her three children linked to a custodial battle between her and Muslim convert Mohd Ridzuan Abdullah.
With tears in her eyes, she expressed sadness and disappointment in the verdict involving the religious status of Tevi Darsiny, Karan Dinish, and Prasana Diksa, who are now aged 18, 17, and seven, respectively.
"This matter has dragged on for seven years. I do not know what has happened to my child," sobbed Indira, 40, in regards to Prasana, whose wherabouts are unknown when Ridzuan, 46, took the youngest child away in 2009.
"When is this going to stop? I want to continue my life with my children," she said as her counsel M. Kulasegaran stood beside her.
Indira was commenting on the majority decision - led by panel head Datuk Balia Yusof Wahi - that the Ipoh High Court did not have jurisdiction to set aside the conversion certificates of Tevi, Karan, and Prasana.
"The issue of conversion is a strictly religious issue that fall under the (jurisdiction) of the Syariah Court," said Balia who was reading out the majority decision that included panel member Datuk Dr Badariah Sahamid.
Judge Datuk Dr Hamid Sultan Abu Backer - who is the other member of the three-man panel - however gave a dissenting ruling which denied the appeal by Ridzuan, the Perak Registrar of Converts, the Perak Islamic Religious Department director, the state government, the Education Ministry and the federal government.
The six appellants were appealing the Ipoh High Court ruling on July 25, 2013, that nullified the conversion of the three children from Hindu to Islam.
Ridzuan, whose Hindu name was K. Patmanathan, had converted Tevi, Karan, and Prasana in April 2009, and re-named them Umu Salamah, Abu Bakar and Umu Habibah, respectively.
He later took away Prasana, leaving the older two with their mother.
Indira and Ridzuan later got involved in a protracted custodial battle for the children, with the Ipoh(Civil) High court giving her custody of the children while the Ipoh Syariah High Court awarded custody to him.