Registrar of Societies (ROS) director-general Zulfikar Ahmad has denied abuse of power allegations which reportedly took place during a probe into the Malaysian Indian People’s Party (MIPP) last year.
According to an FMT report today, Zulfikar (above) insisted that the investigation into MIPP had been launched based on relevant evidence submitted to the ROS.
“They were made based on the investigations and relevant evidence tendered to the ROS,” he was quoted as saying.
Further, Zulfikar suggested that any disagreements between party members should be resolved internally and that the ROS will not intervene unless there is a violation of the party constitution or the Societies Act.
Yesterday, Malaysiakini reported that MIPP founder Santharasekaran Subramaniam lodged a report with MACC against Zulfikar.
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.
‘Serious violations’
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 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.
Another suit
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).
Apart from challenging the validity of the existing leadership, Santharasekaran is also seeking a court order to restore his position as the MIPP president. - Mkini
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