The government and the prime minister are abdicating their responsibilities to find a harmonious, long-term settlement to inter-faith custody disputes in the country, says a lawyer for one of those involved in one such dispute.

Lawyer M Kulasegaran said the moves by the Attorney-General's Chambers and Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar to intervene now, after the custody case of M Indira Gandhi has been dragging on since 2009, was just a bid  to defuse the real issues.