THE inquest into the death of Form One student Zara Qairina Mahathir was postponed after confidential information about a minor, referred to as Student A, was leaked and circulated online before being formally presented in court.
Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan, presiding over the proceedings, expressed disappointment over the breach, calling it a setback to the case now in its tenth day. “The leak has disrupted the integrity of the inquest process,” he said.
Datuk Ram Singh, counsel for Student A, confirmed that the information had gone viral prematurely, raising concerns over the child’s safety and privacy.
The revelation came as the eighth witness, SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha’s chief warden Azhari Abd Sagap, testified that the school’s public telephone had to be disabled after false information surrounding Zara’s death began to circulate.
Azhari told the court that on 16 July, while he was at Queen Elizabeth Hospital after Zara was found unconscious near a drain at the school hostel, he received three calls from the mother of a student. She asked why her child—Student A—was allegedly in hospital, which Azhari denied.
“She called three times while I was at the Emergency Unit. I did not answer immediately, but when I eventually spoke to her, I told her Student A was in school. Her questioning led me to shut down the public phone,” he said.
Student A is among those linked to alleged bullying involving Zara. Azhari confirmed that the student had taken 19 days of medical leave before transferring to another school.
“The student’s mother submitted two medical certificates covering 28 July to 18 August. She claimed her child was suffering trauma, partly due to being contacted via WhatsApp by Zara’s mother, Noraidah Lamat,” said Azhari.
He added that the mother warned of legal action should her child’s name continue to be mentioned. Azhari said he advised her to report the matter directly to investigators.
The inquest also heard that Zara and Student A had previously been close, with the latter joining her on a trip home to Sipitang in mid-July for a school activity.
However, after Zara’s death on 17 July, tensions emerged. Azhari told the court that Student A’s mother reported feeling harassed by Zara’s family.
Proceedings are set to resume on Monday with testimony from other students. Media access has been restricted due to the witnesses being minors.
So far, eight witnesses have taken the stand, with another 60 expected. The Coroner has indicated that a site visit to the school compound will be scheduled once testimony from all student witnesses is complete.
Zara was found unconscious near a drain at her school at around 4am on 16 July and later died at Queen Elizabeth Hospital. She was laid to rest the following day at the Tanjung Ubi Muslim Cemetery in Sipitang. - September 19, 2025
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