Turmoil within the Malaysian Indian People's Party (MIPP) has escalated after its founder, Santharasekaran Subramaniam, lodged a report with MACC against Registrar of Societies (ROS) director-general Zulfikar Ahmad.
The report was made on Feb 10 following allegations of abuse of power, arbitrary decisions, and suspicions of bribery involving the issuance of contradictory ROS official letters in a short period of time.
Santharasekaran claimed that the ROS had intended to give the opposing party (MIPP president P Punithan) an edge in the proceedings at the Shah Alam High Court.
When contacted, Santharasekaran's lawyer, Selvam Shanmugam, confirmed that his client had filed a report with the MACC.
"Yes, I confirm that a report has been made with the MACC to investigate the integrity of the decision-making process at ROS.
"Our client saw that there were clear inconsistencies that affected his rights," Selvam told Malaysiakini in a brief statement.
According to the complaint documents sighted by Malaysiakini, Santharasekaran claimed that the ROS initially issued a letter dated Dec 5, 2025, confirming various serious violations of the party constitution by the current leadership.
Among the alleged violations detected by ROS officers at that time included failure to use the party's official bank account, involvement of non-members in party activities, and illegal exemption of membership fees.
However, Santharasekaran alleged that the situation abruptly changed when Zulfikar issued two more letters the following month, effectively "erasing" all findings of misconduct.
The letters were dated Jan 19 and 23.
"The sudden change of stance within a month without any follow-up investigation or written justification raises serious questions.
"If the ROS letter on Dec 5 already stated that there was misconduct, how come on Jan 23 everything suddenly became 'orderly'? This is an affront to the rule of law.
"Was there any external influence or exchange of bribes to save certain parties in a court case?" he asked.
Civil action
The issue began on Dec 1, 2025, when Santharasekaran filed a civil action with two other MIPP leaders to challenge the validity of Punithan’s position as party president.
Santharasekaran, a former MIPP president himself, had filed a report with the ROS last year, claiming that Punithan was not a registered member of the party.
The report was filed on Oct 10 after Santharasekaran found that the MIPP annual general meeting held on Oct 5 was invalid.
“The AGM was conducted based on the personal interests of Punithan and S Subramaniam as deputy president.
“There was no prior discussion with the central working committee, and all decisions were autocratic, contradicting MIPP’s vision and mission as well as the party’s constitution and procedural guidelines,” Santharasekaran had claimed.
On Feb 16, Santharasekaran filed another suit to challenge the validity of the party's current leadership.
According to documents sighted by Malaysiakini, the ROS, Zulfikar, Punithan, and MIPP secretary-general Sathes Kumar Nilameham were named as defendants.
The plaintiffs are seeking a court declaration that Punithan and Sathes are not, and have never been, valid members of MIPP.
They further claim that the AGMs held in 2024 in 2025 are invalid and thus are rendered void ab initio (have never had any legal effect).
‘Contradicting letters’
"Because the ROS director-general's letters dated Jan 19 and 23 clearly contradict the agency's initial investigation findings, we have been forced to withdraw the first civil suit and file a new suit naming ROS and Zulfikar as defendants.
"In this regard, the plaintiff is seeking for all appointments, decisions and actions made by Punithan and Sathes in the party's name to be declared null and void.
"A declaration is sought that the second defendant's (Zulfikar) letters dated Jan 19 and 23 are invalid," Selvam said.
Apart from challenging the validity of the existing leadership, Santharasekaran is also seeking a court order to restore his position as the MIPP president.
Malaysiakini has reached out to ROS director-general's office for comments and is awaiting their response.
Malaysiakini has also contacted Punithan and Sathes for comments.
MIPP is the newest component party in the Perikatan Nasional opposition bloc. It was admitted last year as part of the coalition's strategy to attract support from Indian voters. - Mkini
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