The inquest into the death of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir is expected to run past the coming state polls, possibly into next year, said lawyer Ram Singh.

Ram, who represents one of the students accused of bullying Zara, said this is due to the pace of the inquest, which is only 19 percent through despite being 16 days in.

"Initially, it was fixed until Sept 30, but looking at the pace, it’s very unlikely to finish this year,” Malay Mail quoted Ram as saying today.

According to Ram, coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan said that only 14 of the 68 witnesses have been heard so far.

Ram expressed hopes of calling another expert witness, adding that Zara's mother's lawyers are also expected to call in their own witnesses.

“The way it is going, it will most probably go beyond election time. Even December will not be enough,” he added.

Zara was pronounced dead at Queen Elizabeth Hospital I on July 17.

She had been admitted to the hospital after being found unconscious in a drain near the dormitory of SMKA Tun Datu Mustapha in Papar, Sabah at 4am on July 16.

Police initially classified the case as “sudden death” and skipped a post-mortem after her mother signed a consent letter declining it, which came under scrutiny for breaching police protocol.

In August, the Attorney-General's Chambers announced an inquest into Zara's death and later, the exhumation of her remains for a post-mortem.

On Aug 20, five teenage girls were charged at the Kota Kinabalu Children's Court, Sabah, under Sections 507C(1) and 34 of the Penal Code, with making threatening, abusive or insulting words against Zara.