A Gerakan Youth leader has called for a special parliamentary sitting on the conversion of minors to Islam without the consent of the non-Muslim parent.

"Instead of a special (parliamentary) session on the TPPA (Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement) at the end of this month, a special sitting should be given to Indira's case as she is not the only one suffering quietly in this country," said Andy Yong.

He was referring to the protracted legal tussle between Indira Gandhi and her ex-husband K Pathmanathan, who upon converting to Islam uses the name Mohd Ridhuan Abdullah.

The Gerakan Youth deputy chief said a solution for Indira's case should be given priority.

"I have also handled some of these unfortunate cases personally and it only brought misery to both the parents and child involved.

"In the case of Indira, it is apparent what are the problems and solutions needed hence there is no need for further action which might complicate the situation," he added in a statement.

Yong said instead of being a lame duck, the Parliament should play its role of being the grandest request of the nation on behalf of the public.

The lawyer-turned-politician called on both sides of the political divide to put aside their differences and vote with conscience for the sake of the nation and Malaysians.

On the same note, he pressed for a bill which would return the independence of the judiciary.

"The future of the nation is at stake here, we must do all we can to safeguard it," he added.

Yong also said he was appalled by the recent Court of Appeal decision to reverse an earlier High Court judgment which quashed the conversion to Islam of Indira's children.

He said such decisions caused much misery and set a dangerous precedent.

The Court of Appeal decision drew flak from various quarters like MCA and MIC, with former law minister Zaid Ibrahim going to the extent of describing some judges as heartless.

This prompted Chief Justice Arifin Zakaria to state that critics should first read the judgments before hurling brickbats.

'One of the great injustices under Najib'

Meanwhile, Yong also expressed little confidence with regard to the committee comprising three senior ministers formed to look into these cases.

"I feel that a more proactive measure such as the tabling of a bill to amend relevant laws such as the Law Reform Act and Federal Constitution to clear the confusion and misinterpretation.

"In the past, such committees are unlikely to be productive and will only incur more time and cost which is unnecessary," he said.

The committee, announced by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, consists of Health Minister Dr S Subramaniam, who is also MIC president, Culture and Tourism Minister Mohd Nazri Aziz and Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Jamil Khir Bahrom, who oversees Islamic matters.

Yesterday, Subramaniam said the prime minister has principally agreed to look into the possibility of amending existing laws to prevent unilateral conversions.

Training his guns on the prime minister and his ministers, DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang described Indira's case as one of the "greatest injustices in the Najib premiership".

He challenged the prime minister and his cabinet, who would meet tomorrow, to ensure Indira's reunion with her daughter within 48 hours.

"The prime minister, the cabinet, Parliament and the judiciary have all failed Indira and the Constitution, the laws, the courts and the system of governance have been manipulated to deny Indira her fundamental rights as a mother to see, hold and touch her daughter.

"The same week that Najib became the sixth prime minister of Malaysia in April 2009, Indira found that her three children had without her knowledge or consent been unilaterally converted to Islam by her ex husband, who had converted to Islam a month earlier.

"That started Indira's long and still unending legal battle for control and custody of her three children," he said in a statement.