Time Is Running Out: Why M. Indira Gandhi Must Act Swiftly to Locate Her Daughter

By Determined Sarawakian 

Seventeen years have elapsed since Prasana Diksa was taken from her mother, M. Indira Gandhi, at merely eleven months of age. Despite a landmark ruling by Malaysia’s Federal Court in 2018—which declared the child’s unilateral conversion to Islam invalid and reaffirmed Indira’s full custodial rights—Prasana remains missing. The father, who absconded with her in defiance of court orders, has yet to be located or held accountable. Law enforcement has failed to execute the arrest warrant. The state has failed to reunite a mother with her child.

But time is no longer a luxury Indira can afford.

⏳ The Legal Clock Is Ticking

In fewer than four years, Prasana will reach the age of 21—the age of majority under Malaysian law. At that point, she will possess full legal autonomy to determine her religion, residence, and familial affiliations. Should she emerge publicly and declare herself a Muslim, or worse, renounce her mother’s custodial claim, the legal and emotional stakes of this case will shift dramatically.

The Federal Court’s ruling will remain a powerful precedent, but its practical effect may be rendered moot. Custody orders do not apply to adults. And while the court invalidated her childhood conversion, an adult Prasana could voluntarily reaffirm her Muslim identity, placing herself under Syariah jurisdiction and beyond the reach of civil enforcement.

🔍 The Case for Private Investigation

Given the state’s prolonged inaction, it is imperative that Indira Gandhi consider engaging private investigators—without delay. This is not a matter of undermining the judiciary, but a recognition that enforcement mechanisms have failed. The police have had over a decade to act. They have not.

Private investigators, operating within legal bounds, may offer a parallel path to locating Prasana. Surveillance, digital tracing, and community-level intelligence gathering could yield leads that official channels have either overlooked or deprioritised. Time-sensitive action now could make the difference between reunion and irreversible separation.

🧭 A Strategic Imperative

This is not merely a personal tragedy—it is a national test of constitutional integrity. The longer Prasana remains missing, the more the state’s failure becomes normalised. If she reappears as an adult and publicly disavows her mother, it will be framed as her choice. But that “choice” will have been shaped by years of unilateral upbringing, religious indoctrination, and state-sanctioned parental alienation.

To prevent that outcome, Indira must act decisively. The window for meaningful intervention is closing. Private investigation is not a betrayal of the legal process—it is a necessary supplement to it.

🧾 Conclusion

Justice delayed is already justice denied. But justice abandoned is something far worse. M. Indira Gandhi’s fight has always been about more than one child—it is about the rights of all parents, the sanctity of civil law, and the future of pluralism in Malaysia.

Now, it is also about time.