The family filed a suit seeking RM3 million in damages in February at the High Court in Alor Setar. Both parties were directed to settle through mediation.

However, the family has decided to go to trial. “This is a clear-cut case of negligence, and the family doesn’t want to settle,” the family’s lawyer, M Manoharan, told FMT. “They want justice for their daughter, and they are ready for a full trial. Any process in between will be a futile exercise.”

Manoharan said the case will be heard from Nov 10-12 next year.

Last year, the Alor Setar coroner’s court ruled that student S Vinosiny died as a result of an accident caused by electrocution after she was found dead in a hostel at the university’s campus in Sintok, Kedah, on May 21, 2022.

Her father, R Sivakumar sued the university for negligence, alleging that the university had breached its duty of care to Vinosiny by failing to ensure she was safe from electrocution.

He alleged the university had failed to maintain the electrical installations of the dormitory, and also filed a police report for an investigation into whether the university had properly maintained its buildings. Haim Hilman Abdullah, then UUM vice-chancellor, said maintenance work at the campus in Kedah had been carried out according to procedure and schedule.