Single mother Loh Siew Hong has submitted an affidavit opposing the Perlis state government’s bid for a review of the Federal Court’s previous ruling regarding her three children’s religious status. Loh’s attorney, A. Srimurugan, confirmed to Bernama that the affidavit was filed yesterday.
On October 30, the Perlis government filed an application with the Federal Court, seeking to overturn an earlier decision that had dismissed the appeal applications from the state government and three other parties.
The state government argued that the previous Federal Court panel’s ruling had significantly impacted their right to a fair hearing, prompting them to request a rehearing of the leave to appeal application.
This application for leave was dismissed on May 14, blocking the applicants—including the Perlis Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (MAIPs), the Perlis State Registrar of Converts, and Perlis Mufti Datuk Dr. Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin—from moving forward with their appeals in the Federal Court to contest the Court of Appeal’s decision.
On January 10, the Court of Appeal voided the conversion of Loh’s children to Islam, declaring them to be Hindus. In 2023, the High Court had dismissed Loh’s judicial review application, which sought to overturn her children’s conversion to Islam.
The 37-year-old single mother submitted the application on March 25, 2022, requesting a declaration that her three children are Hindus. She argued that her ex-husband, M. Nagahswaran, who had converted to Islam, did not have the legal authority to register their children as converts without her consent.
The three children, who were initially under the custody of the Social Welfare Department, were returned to Loh on February 21, 2022, following the High Court’s approval of her habeas corpus application.
Source: Bernama
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Telegram for more updates and breaking news.
