Indira Gandhi elated with court's landmark decision to retain her children's Hindu faith

No family has to go through what I and my children have to go through.

This was the sentiment of M. Indira Gandhi, who was elated when the Ipoh High Court made a landmark decision by ruling that the conversion of her three Hindu children to Islam was null and void.

“I am very happy with the verdict. This is what we have been waiting for, for five years,” an overjoyed Indira told Astro Awani.

Indira said at the beginning, the ordeal that her family had to go through after her husband, Mohd Ridzuan Abdullah, converted her children into Islam without her knowledge, was difficult.

Mohd Ridzuan Abdullah, whose Hindu name was K. Pathmanathan before he converted to Islam, also obtained certificates of conversion from the Perak Islamic Religious Department as a proof of conversion.

“We managed to get on with life despite the difficulties. My children and I practice Hinduism religiously. Eventhough there was an ongoing court case involving their father, my eldest daughter still managed to score straight As in her PMR.

“We have moved on without their father, whom I divorced last year,” she said.

Today, Judicial commissioner Lee Swee Seng quashed the conversion certificates of M. Indira Gandhi’s children, Tevi Darsiny,16, Karan Dinish, 15 and Prasana Diksa, five, because it was unlawful.

Indira had filed an application to seek the nullification of the conversion on the basis that the conversions contravened the Perak Islamic Administration Enactment 2004 and several other laws including the Federal Constitution.

Indira’s lawyer K. Shanmuga said the judgement was very unique because it is the first time in the country conversion certificates of minors were quashed.

“The Judicial Commissioner ruled that in order for the conversion to be valid, the children themselves must come to the Islamic Department and say out loud their affirmation of the faith (Kalimah Syahadah).

“In addition to that, the Judicial Commissioner ruled both parents must give consent to the conversion.

“The Judicial Commissioner also ruled that the International Human Rights convention on the rights of children that states a child has the right to identify his or her religion especially children of the minority group, must be applied in Malaysia.

“The Judicial Commissioner also ruled that the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (Cedaw) which guarantees equal rights of mother and father must also be applied in Malaysia,” Shanmuga told Astro Awani.