SHAH ALAM, Jan 31 — Fifty devotees of the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Temple and the temple’s task force today failed in their bid to be an interested party and participate in the inquest to determine the cause of firefighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim’s death.
Coroner Rofiah Mohamad, in dismissing their applications said there were no real, substantive and reasonable grounds to make them interested parties.
“The court shall not exit the boundaries and perimeters of this inquest proceedings under Section 337 of the Criminal Procedures Code, which is to determine when Muhammad Adib dies, where he died, how he died and in what manner did he die.
“Based on these, the identity and role of the two parties (devotees and task force) strayed away from terms of reference of this inquest proceeding.
“Both parties have no real, substantive and reasonable grounds for the court to allow them to participate in the inquest proceeding,” she added.
Lawyers M. Visvanathan and Siti Zabedah Kassim, representing the devotees and task force, informed the court that they would file for a review of the decision at the High Court tomorrow.
Rofiah, however, allowed an application by the Bar Council to be an interested party in the inquest and told all parties involved in the proceeding not to make any statements to the media.
She had earlier set Feb 11 to 28; March 1,4 and 5; March 19 until 29 and April 1 to 12 for the inquest proceedings.
Muhammad Adib, 24, of the Subang Jaya Fire & Rescue Station, was severely injured when he arrived in the vicinity of the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in USJ 25, Subang Jaya, early on Nov 27 to put out a car fire during riots that erupted purportedly over the relocation of the house of worship.
Some people claim that he was injured in a vehicle accident while others allege that he was assaulted by several rioters.
He succumbed to his injuries and died at the National heart Institute (IJN) last Dec 17. — Bernama
