LAWYER Sangeet Kaur Deo, daughter of the late Karpal Singh, has withdrawn her appeal against a high court dismissal of her suit against a former chief justice over alleged interference by the judiciary in the outcome of her father’s sedition case and the religious conversion of three Hindu children.

She filed the notice of discontinuance of the appeal on Monday, March 9, with the appeal hearing at the Court of Appeal original scheduled to take place earlier today.

“I have decided to withdraw my appeal as my complaint relating to judicial misconduct is still pending before Court of Appeal President Rohana Yusuf, who has yet to reply to my letter dated January 7, 2020,” she said.

She also called on the current government to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI).

On October 22, 2019, Kuala Lumpur High Court dismissed an originating summons filed by Sangeet, alleging judicial interference in the outcome of her father’s sedition case.

Court of Appeal judge Dr Hamid Sultan Abu Backer, on Feb 14, 2019, filed a 63-page affidavit in support of Sangeet’s originating summons.

She sought a declaration that the chief justice had failed to perform his duties as head of the judiciary to defend its integrity and credibility by not completing the investigation into two allegations of judicial interference.

The first allegation pertained to the decision on her late father’s sedition appeal, while the second, on the conversion of kindergarten teacher M. Indira Gandhi’s children to Islam.

On March 29, 2019, the Federal Court acquitted Karpal of the sedition charge, ruling there was a serious misdirection of law by the high court and Court of Appeal as both courts failed to evaluate his defence.

Karpal, who was a prominent lawyer and politician, died in a crash on the North-South Expressway near Gua Tempurung, Perak, in the early hours of April 17, 2014. – Bernama, March 12, 2020.