INQUEST | The task force of the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Seafield, Subang Jaya, which was at the centre of rioting incidents on Nov 26 and 27, today filed an application to seek a judicial review of the Coroner’s Court barring it from being an interested party in the inquest to find out the cause of death of firefighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim.

The committee’s lawyer, M Visvanathan, who filed the application at the High Court Registrar’s office in Shah Alam, said the task force wanted to take part in the proceedings which will commence on Feb 11.

"The entire incident of the death of the man (Adib) arose from the result of the (temple) task force not wanting to move from its place.

"You cannot have an investigation in a vacuum. All the circumstances surrounding the death must be investigated so that it (the Coroner’s Court) can come to a reasoned decision," Visvanathan told reporters after filing the application at 9am.

He added that the application would most likely be heard this Thursday or Friday.

Coroner Rofiah Mohamad on Jan 31 had dismissed Visvanathan’s application for the task force to be part of the inquest on the grounds that there were no justifiable grounds to make it an interested party.

Rofiah has fixed Feb 11-28; March 1, 4 and 5; March 19-29 and April 1-12 for the inquest.

Adib, 24, was severely injured during rioting near the Sri Maha Mariamman temple in the early hours of Nov 27. He had been part of the response team sent there from the Subang Jaya Fire and Rescue Station because vehicles were being torched.

He died at the National Heart Institute three weeks later, on Dec 17.

- Bernama