Rights group urges action as Malaysian girl remains missing 16 years after court rulings favour her mother
Lawyers for Liberty has urged Malaysian authorities to enforce long-standing court orders in M. Indira Gandhi’s child custody case, warning against politicisation as she remains separated from her daughter after more than 16 years.
- Lawyers for Liberty urged Malaysian authorities to act professionally in enforcing court orders to reunite M. Indira Gandhi with her daughter after more than 16 years.
- The group warned against politicising the case or framing it along racial or religious lines, stressing it is a humanitarian issue.
- Despite multiple court rulings in Indira’s favour, police have yet to locate her former husband or recover the child.
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA: Human rights group Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) has urged the police and the government to discharge their duties professionally in the long-running child custody case involving M. Indira Gandhi.
The group warned against politicising the matter or framing it along racial or religious lines, stressing that the case concerns the enforcement of clear court orders and a mother’s right to be reunited with her child.
Indira has been separated from her youngest daughter, Prasana Diksa, for more than 16 years.
Sixteen years of separation
The separation began in March 2009, when Indira’s former husband converted to Islam and left the family with the then 11-month-old child.
Speaking at a press conference on 29 December 2025, LFL co-founder Latheefa Koya said nearly a decade had passed since the Federal Court delivered a final ruling in Indira’s favour, yet no reunion had taken place.
“We demand that the police and the government carry out their duties professionally,” Latheefa said, according to remarks at the briefing.
“We do not want this case to be politicised or exploited to stir racial or religious sentiment.”
“All we want is for Indira Gandhi to be reunited with her own child,” she added.
Latheefa said Indira had spent years campaigning for enforcement of the court decisions, including holding press conferences and meeting successive Inspectors-General of Police.
Criticism of police inaction
She said these engagements were frequently met with assurances that efforts were ongoing, but without concrete results or progress in locating the child.
Rejecting claims that the authorities were unable to trace Prasana and her father, Latheefa said the case did not involve armed criminals or complex criminal networks.
“This is a father and a child. The police are capable of tracking terrorists and major criminals,” she said.
“It is not credible to suggest they are unable to locate a child and her father.”
Latheefa said it remained unclear whether Indira’s former husband, Pathmanathan Krishnan, now known as Muhammad Riduan Abdullah following his conversion to Islam, was currently in Malaysia or abroad.
Mother’s plea beyond race and religion
She added that despite clear and repeated court orders, Indira had yet to see her daughter, and no authority had ensured the child’s return.
Indira, who also addressed the press conference, emphasised that her sole aim was to be reunited with her child and that the matter was not about religion or race.
“I have always hoped that one day Prasana would return, which is why I have continually urged the public to help find her,” she said.
“I do not care about her religion and want her to make her own choice, and if she wishes to follow Islam, that is her decision,” Indira added.
“As her mother, all I want is to see her again, and I will continue my efforts until that happens.”
On 26 November, Malaysian police said efforts to trace Indira’s former husband were still ongoing.
Authorities maintain search is ongoing
They confirmed that he remains barred from travelling abroad and said the force remains committed to complying with the High Court in Ipoh’s decisions.
Police said this included further investigations into allegations that an individual suspected to be Muhammad Riduan may have used his identity to receive government assistance, such as BUDI95 and Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA).
Separately, a leader from the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) offered to act as a mediator to facilitate a reunion between Indira and her daughter.
Sungai Buloh PAS chief Zaharuddin Muhammad said the legal and religious aspects of the case had effectively been settled, and attention should now turn to humanitarian and family considerations.
“This is no longer an issue of law or religion. This is an issue of humanity and motherhood,” he said at a press conference.
“The sole objective is to reunite a mother and child who have been separated for almost two decades,” he added.
Public figures call for action on humanitarian grounds
Former Bar Council president Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan said the authorities were fully capable of locating Prasana and her father if genuine effort was made, questioning whether the child was safe and attending school.
She added that it was unacceptable for the country’s highest courts to issue orders that remain unenforced, describing the request for action as neither complex nor unreasonable.
Legal milestones in a protracted case
The case dates back to 2009, when Muhammad Riduan unilaterally converted the couple’s three children to Islam without Indira’s consent and sought custody through the Shariah Court.
In 2010, the civil High Court in Ipoh granted Indira full custody of all three children.
In 2018, the Federal Court declared the unilateral conversions null and void, affirming the primacy of civil court jurisdiction in the matter, according to the judgment.
Earlier, in May 2014, the High Court in Ipoh issued a committal order for Muhammad Riduan’s arrest for contempt of court due to his failure to return Prasana to Indira.
The court also issued a recovery order directing the police to locate the child.
In September 2014, Indira obtained a mandamus order compelling the Inspector-General of Police to enforce the court’s directives. Although the Court of Appeal initially set aside the order, the Federal Court reinstated it in April 2016.
Muhammad Riduan has since been wanted under an arrest warrant for more than 15 years after absconding with Prasana in 2009.
Since 2021, the High Court in Ipoh has been monitoring police efforts to locate and arrest him.
On 21 November, the court ordered the police to widen their search nationwide and to liaise with the Immigration Department to prevent him from leaving Malaysia.
The next case management hearing at the High Court in Ipoh is scheduled for 27 February next year.
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