The Shah Alam High Court has decided that the Selangor Islamic Council (Mais) cannot claim the remains of film director Mohan Singh for burial until a judicial review of the case is completed.

The Sungai Buloh hospital, where Mohan Singh’s body is being kept, is also prohibited from releasing it to Mais. It had earlier rejected the family’s attempt to claim the body .

Justice Rosnaini Saub allowed the family’s ex-parte application in chambers yesterday, after it was submitted by lawyer A Rajesh Kumar.

Mohan Singh, 41, died of a heart attack last Monday. Mais claimed that he had converted to Islam in 1992 and filed an application at the Syariah High Court the same day to verify his religious status.

The family then filed an application for a judicial review last Friday, naming as respondents the Health Ministry director-general, the hospital director, the government, and Mais.

Contacted today, Rajesh Kumar said he will file affidavits in support of the application tomorrow at the Shah Alam High Court registry. No dates has yet been set for the hearing of the judicial review.

“When he died, he was a practising Sikh. (If he converted to Islam) he has never told anybody (about it) including his family and close friends. His identity card (indicates he is not a Muslim),” Rajesh Kumar said.

The lawyer said the family is very upset. All they want is to claim the body and cremate it according to Sikh rites.

Rajesh Kumar said that Mohan Sigh had conducted Sikh last rites for his mother who died three years ago.

Disputes over claims of religious conversion have been a contentious issue in Malaysia following several highly publicised cases, such as that of Mount Everest climber M Moorthy who died in 2005.