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Name suppression lapsed today for murder defendant Mukesh Prashad, accused of smothering a young girl with a pillow before taking her body to Manukau Police Station. 

It can also be revealed the victim was his daughter, 5-year-old Tulsi Amola. 

The 37-year-old Conifer Grove resident was arrested in January, shortly after arriving at the police station. 

During a hearing last month, defence lawyer Sharyn Green asked Justice Timothy Brewer for suppression to continue until his trial next May. 

She suggested her client’s safety could be at risk if his name was released. 

She also described the case as a family tragedy, not rising to the level where the public’s right to know is materially engaged. 

Justice Brewer disagreed. 

Murder defendant Mukesh Prashad, accused of having smothered his young daughter with a pillow before taking her to the Manukau Police Station, appears in the High Court at Auckland. Photo / Michael Craig 

“The starting point for any application for name suppression is the principle of open justice,” he said in his written decision. 

“That is not a makeweight statement. It is vital to a functioning democracy for justice to be done publicly... publication is the norm.” 

Prisons, he added, have plenty of experience protecting those charged with violence against children. 

The suppression application was dismissed on June 13, but Justice Brewer allowed suppression to remain in place until today to allow his family time to prepare for publication and for the defence to consider an appeal. 

No appeal was filed. 

An officer guards an investigation scene outside Manukau Police Station after a dead child was discovered in a vehicle parked outside the facility. Photo / Hayden Woodward 

Prashad briefly returned to the High Court at Auckland today as his case was called before Justice Mathew Downs. He wore a white and yellow Adidas windbreaker and what appeared to be plaid pyjama bottoms as he stood in the dock. 

A plea of not guilty by reason of insanity was entered on his behalf. 

“That will be an issue for a jury to decide at your trial,” Justice Downs told him. 

Authorities previously said the defendant arrived at the South Auckland police station and spoke to officers about 1am on Monday, January 6. The child’s body was in a parked car outside. 

Police investigate the scene outside Manukau Police Station. Photo / Hayden Woodward 

Police cordoned off a silver Nissan sedan parked in Barrowcliffe Place, directly outside the entrance. 

Authorities allege the child died in East Tamāki the day before. 

During a Manukau District Court appearance on the same day as the grisly discovery, Prashad appeared distraught as he gestured to supporters. He has been treated at a hospital for unspecified injuries hours after his arrest. 

Craig Kapitan is an Auckland-based journalist covering courts and justice. He joined the Herald in 2021 and has reported on courts since 2002 in three newsrooms in the US and New Zealand.