Court admits Zara’s mum to NGO’s inquest review

2026-03-18 - 07:11

Zara Qairina Mahathir died at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu on July 17 last year, a day after she was found unconscious in a drain near her school’s dormitory in Papar. (Facebook pic) PETALING JAYA: The High Court in Kota Kinabalu has allowed Zara Qairina Mahathir’s mother, Noraidah Lamat, to be admitted as an interested party in a judicial review filed by an NGO to quash the inquest into her daughter’s death. According to a Berita Harian report, Justice Celestina Stuel Galid made the ruling after reviewing written submissions from Noraidah and Pertubuhan Kebajikan Ekonomi Semangat Bersatu Malaysia (Pembela). She also ordered the applicant to serve all judicial review documents on Noraidah by tomorrow and fixed an e-review on March 26. Lawyers Shahlan Jufri and Syarulnizam Salleh appeared for Noraidah while Pembela was represented by Jul Hamri Jumhani. On Nov 21, 2025, Pembela filed the judicial review application seeking to quash the entire inquest on grounds that it was conducted under the federal Criminal Procedure Code rather than Sabah’s Inquest Ordinance 1959. The group argued that as the state law contains specific procedural safeguards, it was seeking orders to declare the 1959 ordinance as the applicable law and to strike out the ongoing proceedings. Zara, 13, died at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu on July 17 last year, a day after she was found unconscious in a drain near her school’s dormitory in Papar. The inquest into her death will resume on March 31.