KUALA LUMPUR – The lack of a special cabinet committee to look into the abduction of her daughter Prasana Diksa has not escaped M. Indira Gandhi’s notice.
She is now calling for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob to set up an independent task force comprising former judges to investigate police’s inability to locate her youngest child and ex-husband.
In a statement issued by her lawyers, Indira Gandhi said: “It is beyond reason that police have made no progress in the last seven years since the Ipoh High Court order in 2014.”
Her call for a task force comes after Ismail Sabri announced the formation of three special committees, each set up to look into the death of firefighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim, investigate multiple allegations made by former attorney-general Tan Sri Tommy Thomas in his memoir, and the contentious Pulau Batu Puteh issue.
“It is noted with much regret that the case of Indira Gandhi and her daughter Prasana Diksa, who was abducted, is an ongoing saga with no end in sight. Indira Gandhi’s daughter has yet to be found. It has been 12 years since mother and daughter were separated,” said lawyers Rajesh Nagarajan and Sachpreetraj Singh Sohanpal.
“Sadly, none of this (including the mandamus) has been effected by police. The mandamus also compelled them to enforce a committal order to arrest and commit Indira Gandhi’s ex-husband Pathmanathan Krishnan (Muhammad Riduan Abdullah) to prison until his contempt is purged by the delivery of Prasana Diksa to Indira Gandhi.”
Indira Gandhi is also suing police, the inspector-general of police, Home Ministry and government for RM100 million.
The government in August failed to strike out her case at the Kuala Lumpur High Court, and will challenge the decision at the Court of Appeal.
The high court on July 16 ordered a full trial for Indira Gandhi’s suit against police and the government over their alleged inaction in executing a warrant of committal to arrest her ex-husband for contempt.
Judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali, dismissing the government’s bid to strike out Indira Gandhi’s suit, said there are issues that need to be ventilated in a full hearing.
He also ordered RM4,000 in costs to be paid to Indira Gandhi.
Unless there is an order for a stay of proceedings, the trial at the high court is expected to resume on December 15.
In 2016, the Federal Court instructed the inspector-general of police to execute a warrant of committal against Riduan over his failure to hand over custody of Prasana Diksa.
He was found guilty of contempt for refusing to hand over custody of the child, who was taken away from her mother in 2010. – The Vibes, October 11, 2021
