PUTRAJAYA, May 19 — The Federal Court should not hear M. Indira Gandhi’s ex-husband until he purges his contempt of court, her lawyer said today.

M. Kulasegaran claimed Muhammad Riduan Abdullah’s lawyer Hatim Musa had received instructions from his client to make objections in court against everything in Indira’s bid to reverse her three children’s unilateral conversion.

But he argued these should not be accepted until the Muslim convert submits to the courts.

“The law of contempt is a very serious matter, you can’t be committing contempt and come to court and argue your case,” he told reporters when met here.

In making his preliminary objection today at the Federal Court, Kulasegaran said Muhammad Riduan failed to obey the Ipoh High Court’s 2014 order to return the youngest child he snatched away to Indira.

But Kulasegaran said Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin – who chaired the Federal Court panel today – noted the issue was not relevant and indicated it could be addressed during the hearing of Indira’s appeal.

Earlier today, the Federal Court allowed Indira to go ahead with her challenge against the validity of the unilateral conversion of her three children by her Muslim convert ex-husband Muhammad Riduan.

Indira had applied for leave to appeal the Court of Appeal’s 2-1 ruling last December, where it said only the Shariah courts have the jurisdiction to decide on the validity of a person’s conversion.

Today’s decision means the Federal Court will consider three questions of law in its hearing of Indira’s appeal, including whether the civil High Court has jurisdiction over the Registrar of Muallafs (converts) and whether a child in a civil marriage needs to comply with state laws before being registered as a Muslim convert.

The Federal Court will also consider whether the mother and the father – if both are still surviving – of a child of a civil marriage must consent before a certificate of conversion to Islam can be issued for that child.

The case is the culmination of the interfaith custody battle between Indira and Muhammad Riduan that began in 2009.