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THE High Court has granted the mother of the late Zara Qairina Mahathir permission to be an interested party in a judicial review challenging the legality of the inquest into her daughter’s death.
Judicial Commissioner Datuk Celestina Stuel Galid allowed the application by Noraidah Lamat after considering written submissions from both Noraidah and the Pertubuhan Kebajikan Ekonomi Semangat Bersatu Malaysia (PEMBELA), as well as oral arguments presented in court.
Noraidah had filed her application in January 2025 to be included in the proceedings, while PEMBELA is the applicant seeking to nullify the inquest.
The Attorney General and the Coroner’s Court are named as the first and second respondents respectively.
The court further directed the applicant to furnish all documents related to the judicial review to Noraidah by the following day and fixed an e-review for March 26.
Noraidah is represented by lawyers Shahlan Jufri and Mohd Syarulnizam Mohd Salleh, while PEMBELA is represented by counsel Jul Hamri Jumhani.
The Attorney General’s Chambers is represented by Senior Federal Counsel Mohammad Solehheen Mohammad Zaki.
PEMBELA had filed the judicial review on November 21, 2025, arguing that the inquest should be set aside on the grounds that it was conducted under the Federal Criminal Procedure Code rather than the Sabah Inquests Ordinance 1959.
The organisation contends that the state law provides specific procedural safeguards that should have governed the proceedings, and is seeking a declaration that the 1959 Ordinance applies, along with the dismissal of the ongoing inquest.
In a related development, the Sessions Court on February 11 postponed contempt proceedings against former Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal pending the outcome of the judicial review.
The court has scheduled March 27 for case mention and updates on the review process.
Zara, a Form One student, was found unconscious in her school dormitory on July 16, 2025, and was pronounced dead the following day at Hospital Queen Elizabeth.
The inquest, which began on September 3, 2025, has heard testimony from 64 witnesses and is scheduled to resume on March 31. - March 18, 2026