Loh Siew Hong's ex-husband dies amid domestic assault court battle
Loh Siew Hong had been embroiled in a custody battle over her three children with her ex-husband, Muslim convert Muhammad Nagahswaran Muniandy.
PETALING JAYA : Muhammad Nagahswaran Muniandy, the former husband of Loh Siew Hong, has died.
Loh's lawyer Shamsher Singh Thind confirmed that Nagahswaran passed on yesterday. He was 38.
The duo became embroiled in a custody battle after Nagahswaran took their three children to Perlis and unilaterally converted them to Islam in 2020.
At the time, several court orders had already granted Loh custody, starting with an interim order in December 2019 which progressed to full custody by March 2021. Their divorce was finalised in September 2021.
Muhammad Nagahswaran Muniandy.
Loh, who left Nagahswaran in 2019 after complaining of abuse, filed for a habeas corpus order for her children in early 2022.
The High Court ruled in her favour, and she was reunited with the children who, at one point, were placed in the care of preacher Nazirah Nanthakumari Abdullah.
That same year, Loh filed for judicial review to challenge their conversion. In April 2024, the Federal Court ruled that both parents must consent to a child's conversion, and confirmed that Loh's children remained Hindus.
A final appeal by the Perlis government to reinstate the children's status as Muslims was dismissed in April this year.
Nagahswaran had a criminal record and was placed under restricted residence in Kelantan for a drug-related offence in November 2020 but was released in November 2022.
His conviction came to light during the custody battle with his ex-wife, and was one of the reasons cited by Loh in her bid for the custody of their children.
His time in prison coincided with the period when Loh said she was recovering from alleged domestic abuse and hospitalisation, further complicating the high-profile case.
Nagahswaran was charged at the Sungai Petani sessions court in July 2023 with causing grievous hurt to Loh at their home in Taman Ria, Sungai Petani, on March 3, 2019.
He pleaded not guilty and was granted bail of RM10,000 and ordered to keep away from Loh and the witnesses pending the trial.
The sessions court had scheduled the criminal trial to commence in September this year.
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