M. INDIRA Gandhi, the Malaysian kindergarten teacher who has waged a 16-year legal battle since 2009 for custody of her children, is now advocating for a dedicated interfaith family court to equitably resolve such disputes.
She emphasised that such a court would significantly reduce conflict in mixed-faith marriages.
“Maybe we should have a family court where families can settle matters equitably in court. So that even before my ex converted, he could resolve family matters before converting,” she was quoted by Malaysiakini as saying.
Despite winning landmark civil court rulings in her favor, including custody of the children and declarations that the conversions were unconstitutional, her youngest daughter, Prasana Diksa, remains missing.
Her ex-husband, now known as Muhammad Ridzuan Abdullah, unilaterally converted their three children to Islam upon his own conversion. Riduan, who secured custody through the Perak Syariah Court, is a fugitive.
In this 16-year legal fight, Indira exposed systemic flaws that leave religious minorities vulnerable. She won justice on paper, but enforcement failures reveal deep inequities in Malaysia’s dual legal system.
“For me, I don’t blame people. I don’t blame the justice system. We have won justice equally. I have won in my favour, and it was a landmark case.
“But when issues like these come up, we are more suppressed, being a minority,” the kindergarten teacher said.
M. Indira Gandhi will push her missing daughter Prasana Diksa’s empty stroller, filled with her old toys, to Bukit Aman police headquarters on November 22, in a poignant final plea to locate the child taken years ago.
“I hope we will have a huge crowd regardless of race, status, or religion,” she urged.
“This is my longing to see my child. I know there are a lot of single parents who are going through the same thing.
So, the only hope is, we can alert people by (creating) awareness for the public authorities to have sympathy for people like us,” Indira said. —Nov 16, 2025
Main image: The Vibes
