Karpal’s sedition case: Sangeet may withdraw suit against ex-CJ

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KUALA LUMPUR: The late Karpal Singh’s daughter, lawyer Sangeet Kaur Deo, may withdraw her suit against a former Chief Justice in connection with the alleged interference by the judiciary in the outcome of her father’s sedition case and on the religious conversion of three Hindu children.

“I may withdraw the suit but it really depends on the progress of the case,” Sangeet told reporters after case management before High Court Judge Datuk Mohd Firuz Jaffril in chambers here yesterday in the presence of Senior Federal Counsel S Narkunavathy.

Narkunavathy said the Attorney-General’s Chambers had requested for the applicant (Sangeet) to withhold from withdrawing the suit pending the outcome of their application to expunge large portions of Court of Appeal Judge Datuk Dr Hamid Sultan Abu Backer’s affidavit.

“No decision has been made on that matter and the judge has fixed Aug 6 for next case management,” she said.

Sangeet also said that she had made a formal request to current Chief Justice, Datuk Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, to have this matter investigated.

“I do not think that the outcome of the Federal Court addresses this complaint which is a stain on Malaysian judiciary,” she said.

On March 29, the Federal Court acquitted the late Karpal Singh of a sedition charge for allegedly questioning the late Sultan of Perak’s action relating to the Perak crisis after ruling that there was a serious misdirection of law by the High Court and Court of Appeal as both courts failed to evaluate the former DAP national chairman’s (Karpal Singh’s) defence.

The apex court had allowed the appeal to set aside Karpal Singh’s conviction and fine of RM1,800. His widow Gurmit Kaur, 70, acted as a substitute appellant in the appeal.

Sangeet said until today there was no investigation or no real outcome in relation to the allegations of interference in the Court of Appeal (COA) decision.

“I feel the matter still needs to be investigated,” she said, adding that she had written to the CJ and hoped the matter will be investigated.

Sangeet said since the CJ (Tengku Maimun) had previously sat on the COA panel, they will have to reconsider the right party to investigate the allegations.

“So, the case is pending at the moment and that is my ultimate goal, to have these allegations investigated and not for it to just silently disappear,” she said.

On Feb 14, Hamid Sultan filed the 63-page affidavit in support of an originating summons filed by Sangeet against the Chief Justice at that time.

In the originating summons, Sangeet sought, among others, a declaration that the Chief Justice had failed to perform his duties as the head of the judiciary to defend its integrity and credibility when he failed to complete investigations relating to two allegations of judicial interference in relation to the decision on her late father Karpal Singh’s sedition appeal and in the conversion case of kindergarten teacher M Indira Gandhi’s children. — Bernama