THE Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman temple task force has filed an appeal against a high court decision upholding the coroners’ court ruling that its lawyer is not allowed to hold a watching brief in the inquest into fireman Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim’s death.

Counsel M. Visvanathan, who filed the appeal notice at the Court of Appeal on Monday, said the task force has the right to hold a watching brief and question witnesses, as well as have access to all documents submitted in the proceedings.

“We want to be granted a watching brief to protect the interests of the task force,” he told Bernama.

Last Friday, the high court upheld the decision of the coroners’ court, which rejected the task force’s application to hold a watching brief and ruled that the task force is not an interested party in the inquest.

Judge Rofiah Mohamad, sitting as a coroner, on January 31 rejected the application filed by Visvanathan on the grounds that the task force has no clear, substantive and reasonable interests.

The inquest, which started on Monday, will go on until February 28. It will continue on March 1,4 and 5, and from March 19 to 29, and from April 1 to 12.

Adib, 24, was seriously injured in violence at the temple on November 27 last year. He died at the National Heart Institute on December 17. – Bernama, February 15, 2019.