Indira seeks to recuse CJ, judge from hearing conversion case

Kindergarten teacher M. Indira Gandhi, who is appealing to reverse the Courts of Appeal ruling on unilateral conversion of her minor children, has requested that Chief Justice Tun Arifin Zakaria and his number two Tan Sri Raus Sharif be excluded from hearing her case. Her lawyer M.Kulasegaran said he informed Federal Court judge Datuk Zaharah Ibrahim that both judges had made known their legal opinions in similar cases and as such they should recuse themselves from hearing the case.    "I also requested that the Federal Court bench be gender based, multi-racial and multi-religious," he told The Malaysian Insider after a case management before Zaharah.     Kulasegaran, who is also a federal lawmaker, said Zaharah instructed him to write to the Federal Court registrar on his request. She said Arifin would also be notified, he added. Administratively, it is the chief justice who decides who sits on a bench. Kulasegaran said the Federal Court would convene on May 19 to hear Indira's application whether to grant leave before the merit of the case was heard. On January 28, her lawyers submitted eight legal questions of public importance to obtain leave from the apex court. – February 26, 2016. MORE TO COME]]>