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Subhas Anandan[1] (25 December 1947 – 7 January 2015) was a Singaporean criminal lawyer, who was known to have represented criminals in many high-profile cases that occurred in Singapore.[2][3][4][5]

Key Information

At the time of his death, Anandan was the senior partner in law firm RHTLaw Taylor Wessing LLP and headed its department in criminal law.[3][6] He was a founding member and the first president of the Association of Criminal Lawyers of Singapore.[6][7][8] He was also the president of Cuesports Singapore, the national sports association for billiards, snooker, and pool.[6] Towards the end of his life, Anandan's health began to deteriorate and he died of heart failure in January 2015.

Early life

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Anandan was born in post-British Raj on 25 December 1947[9] to Raman Anandan[10][1] and Govindan Pushpanjaly[11] in Travancore-Cochin (now Kerala, India).[6] When he was five months old, the family migrated from India to Singapore, where his father had found work as a clerk in the British Royal Navy. They lived in the staff quarters within the British naval base in Sembawang until his father retired in the early 1970s.[12]

Anandan attended primary and secondary school in the naval base, first at Admiralty Asian School and then Naval Base School,[13] where he excelled academically. In 1963, after achieving a first grade in his Senior Cambridge (now 'O' Level) examinations, he went back to India to study medicine in Madras (now Chennai) under the request of his mother. But after the first few lessons, he was convinced that he was not meant to be a doctor. He returned home after three months and started his pre-university education at Raffles Institution in 1964.[14]

After completing his Higher School Certificate (now 'A' Level) examinations, he wanted to join the police force but eventually enrolled in the University of Singapore (now National University of Singapore)[15] at the insistence of his father. While pursuing a degree in law, he participated in various extra-curricular activities, including playing on the university's football team and serving as secretary-general of the Socialists' Club.[6] In law school, he was a classmate of Lawrence Ang, who would become a future deputy public prosecutor in Singapore.[16] He obtained his law degree in 1970 and went on to become the protégé of Chan Sek Keong, then a senior partner at law firm Shook Lin & Bok and, later, a Chief Justice of Singapore.[6]

Later years and career

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According to Anandan, his first murder case was in 1972, when he represented a man nicknamed "Tampines Rajah", who was sentenced to hang for murdering a man nicknamed "Beatles Rajah"; the defendant, who was a known acquaintance of Anandan, had encouraged him to continue defending others and this led to Anandan continuing to defend suspects in capital cases throughout his 45-year-long legal career.[17]

In March 1976,[18] Anandan was arrested by the police for suspected involvement in a secret society under the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act.[19] He was released from remand and exonerated in November of the same year following an investigation by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau.[20]

Anandan started the Association of Criminal Lawyers of Singapore in 2002, with the goal of raising the number of criminal lawyers in the country.[21] In 2011, Anandan, alongside law practitioners including Rajan Menon, founded RHTLaw TaylorWessing and stayed on as one of its senior partners until his death.[9][21]

Anandan had started his practice handling mainly civil, accident and family cases but soon began gravitating towards criminal law. In his lifetime, he had handled over a thousand criminal cases involving a wide range of crimes, including murder, rape, domestic worker abuse, drug trafficking and white-collar offences. Known for his sharp and stinging attacks in the courtroom, he was nicknamed "the Basher"[6] within the law community. His presence in court had been characterised as intimidating, given his fierce stares and voluminous beard. As one of Singapore's top criminal defence lawyers, he had appeared so frequently in the media that some people called him a "publicity hound".[6]

While Anandan was critical of some aspects of the criminal justice system in Singapore, he believed that the system had to be followed. He also had a personal mantra of "the most heinous offenders deserve their day in a court of law"; hence Anandan had claimed to have never rejected cases because of the offence the person had been charged with.[15][22]

In 2013, Anandan was part of the 12-member steering committee to guide the development of the Singapore University of Social Sciences School of Law.[23]

Personal life and death

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Anandan, who was formerly a stateless person, first applied for Singapore citizenship in 1972, but was informed a decade later that his application had been turned down.[6] He tried again 2002, and was then finally granted citizenship.[6]

Subhas Anandan was married to Vimala Kesavan. The couple had a son, Sujesh Anandan (born in 1990 or 1991), who also became a lawyer like his father. Sujesh was reportedly called to the Bar in early 2019.[24] Anandan's nephew Sunil Sudheesan is also a lawyer.[17]

Anandan's brother Surash was a football player and later worked as a flight attendant with Singapore Airlines. On 31 October 2000, he was killed along with 82 other passengers and crew in the crash of Singapore Airlines Flight 006 at Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in Taipei, Taiwan.[25] Surash was coincidentally a former colleague of Constance Chee Cheong Hin, a air stewardess charged with killing a four-year-old girl, and Anandan happened to defend Chee during her trial.[17]

According to Anandan's book, The Best I Could, former Solicitor-General Francis Seow owed Anandan S$25,000 since the 1980s, after Seow left the country when faced with income tax charges.[26]

Anandan was particularly passionate about big-capacity cars.[3] He developed this liking in his secondary school days, when he saw other students driving or being driven around in luxury cars like Mercedes Benzes[3] and Jaguars. Beside owning luxury cars, he liked collecting antique or miniature swords, sabres and kris. He often went to the Singapore Cricket Club to play snooker and billiards as a means of releasing work-induced stress. He also spent most of his time at the Holy Tree Sri Balasubramaniar Temple, where he was the chairman of its board of trustees.[3]

An active sportsman in his youth,[4] Anandan was taking 22 types of medication every day because of his deteriorating health in the later years up to his death.[20][4] He had three heart attacks,[27] and had also undergone a heart bypass and an angioplasty.[4] He had also lost one kidney to cancer and was a diabetic.[6][4]

At around 2300 hours (GMT+8) on 7 January 2015, Anandan died while hospitalised at Singapore General Hospital of complications from heart failure, which he was diagnosed with in 2014.[28] His death triggered an outpouring of grief especially amongst members of the law industry in Singapore. Law Minister K. Shanmugam hailed Anandan as a "titan in criminal law" as well as a "legal legend", while Attorney-General V. K. Rajah lauded his "uncanny legal acumen".[29] His funeral, which was attended by "hundreds",[21] was held the next evening and Anandan's body was cremated with Hindu rites on the same day.[21][30][31]

Legacy

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Anandan was awarded the Legal Eagle Award of 2001 conferred by the Law Society of Singapore.[3][6]

Anandan was honoured by the Association of Muslim Lawyers on 28 October 2014 for his substantial contributions towards the legal profession and being a champion of pro bono work for several decades. A tribute ceremony was held at the Supreme Court Auditorium and attended by some 400 members of the legal community, including Law Minister K. Shanmugam, former President S. R. Nathan, Attorney-General V. K. Rajah and several judges. At the ceremony, the newly formed "Yellow Ribbon Fund Subhas Anandan Star Bursary Award" worth S$250,000 was launched which would provide financial support to ex-inmates who wished to pursue further education and a second chance in society, a cause pioneered by Anandan during his four-decade career.[32] Anandan's 2009 book, The Best I Could, documenting his more famous cases, was adapted into a Channel 5 television series of the same name. It ran for two seasons.[17][33] Anandan's second book, It's Easy To Cry, was posthumously published on 15 September 2015.

Former cases

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During his career, starting from 1970 until his death in 2015, Anandan had appeared in numerous notable cases, especially those which involved the death penalty or cases of aggravated murder which shocked the nation of Singapore, like those of Anthony Ler who manipulated and instigated a 15-year-old boy to kill his estranged wife in 2001;[34][35] Took Leng How, who murdered Huang Na in 2004;[36] robber and kidnapper Abdul Nasir bin Amer Hamsah;[17] former air hostess Constance Chee Cheong Hin who killed a four-year-old girl;[37] Tan Chor Jin, who shot a nightclub owner in Serangoon;[17] and Leong Siew Chor, who killed and dismembered his mainland Chinese mistress.[17]

Among many other cases, Anandan also represented Muhammad Nasir Abdul Aziz who killed his lover's husband,[38][39] Quek Loo Ming who caused the death of an elderly woman by poisoning,[40] Pathip Selvan Sugumaran who killed his girlfriend,[41] Wu Yun Yun who killed her brother-in-law,[42] Eu Lim Hoklai who fatally stabbed a massage parlour owner,[43] Salakau gang member Khairul Famy bin Mohamed Samsudin who fatally assaulted national football player Sulaiman bin Hashim,[44] security guard Maniam Rathinswamy who murdered a loan shark,[45] baby-killer Soosainathan Dass Saminathan,[46] maid abuser Ng Hua Chye who abused and killed his maid,[17] Mohamad Ashiek Salleh who murdered a taxi driver in Yishun,[47] drug trafficker Pang Siew Fum who was assisted by Cheong Chun Yin to import 2 kg of heroin,[48] fishmonger Lau Lee Peng who robbed and murdered his friend and fruit-seller Tan Eng Yan,[49] schizophrenic Heng Boon Chai who killed his uncle, kidnapper Tan Ping Koon who abducted a child for ransom,[50] army deserter Christopher Samson Anpalagan who robbed and murdered a lorry driver,[51] lorry driver S Nagarajan Kuppusamy who killed a prison warden,[52] Indonesian maid Purwanti Parji who killed her employer's mother-in-law, Malaysian drug trafficker Vignes Mourthi,[53] lorry driver Ramu Annadavascan who murdered a boilerman,[17] Vadivelu Kathikesan who killed two men in 1979,[54] Jahabar Bagurudeen who killed a moneychanger,[55] Ong Pang Siew who strangled his stepdaughter,[56] convicted child abuser and con-man Chong Keng Chye,[57] and the five gang members who were accused of murdering 19-year-old Republic Polytechnic student Darren Ng Wei Jie at Downtown East in 2010.[58]

Anandan also represented convicted murderer Mathavakannan Kalimuthu in his 1997 appeal and 1998 clemency plea, and successfully convinced President of Singapore Ong Teng Cheong to grant then 19-year-old Mathavakannan clemency and commute his death sentence to life imprisonment.[59] Anandan also defended mechanic Nadasan Chandra Secharan, who was charged with murdering his lover, and Anandan successfully convinced the Court of Appeal to overturn Nadasan's death sentence and issue him an acquittal on the grounds that he was not at the scene of crime and the prosecutors' weak evidence against him.[17]

Other non-capital cases taken by Anandan also included a case involving actress Quan Yi Fong hitting a taxi driver in 2010,[60] and a case involving retail tycoon Tang Wee Sung in 2008 — who tried to illegally purchase a kidney from a living donor, and Ong Mingwee who was accused of raping a woman he met at Zouk and was acquitted after hiring Anandan for his appeal.[61]

Former cases of Subhas Anandan

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See also

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References

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Bibliography

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Subhas Anandan

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Subhas Anandan (1947 – 7 January 2015) was a prominent Singaporean criminal defence who represented clients in numerous high-profile cases, including capital offences such as murders and trafficking, earning recognition for his commitment to ensuring fair trials even for the most reviled accused. After initially practising in diverse areas of , he shifted focus to criminal defence amid growing demand and media scrutiny, handling difficult briefs like that of murderer Took Leng How and advocating against prosecutorial overreach to promote a balanced system. Anandan pioneered the Association of Criminal Lawyers in Singapore and championed services for indigent defendants long before such practices became standard, influencing reforms like aspects of the Criminal Procedure Code 2010. Despite chronic health challenges—including three heart attacks since 1978, in 2001, , and eventual heart and —he continued his work until his death from at age 67 during a dialysis session.

Early Life and Education

Childhood and Family Origins

Subhas Anandan was born in 1947 in , , into a Malayalee family as the second of five children to parents Raman Anandan and Govindan Pushpanjaly. His father worked as a , initially securing that prompted the family's relocation. When Anandan was five months old, the family migrated from to , where his father took up a position as a clerk with the British . They settled in , residing in Royal Navy residential accommodation amid the naval base's facilities. Anandan grew up with his four siblings in this modest environment, including time in a one-room flat within a Sembawang kampung during the , a period marked by communal interdependence in the neighborhood. His siblings comprised sisters and Sugadha, as well as brothers Sudheesan and Surash, reflecting the family's Indian ethnic roots and working-class circumstances.

Academic and Professional Training

Anandan completed his pre-university education at , graduating in the class of 1965. He then enrolled at the University of Singapore—now the —to study law, earning a degree in 1970. After obtaining his degree, Anandan undertook , the mandatory practical training period for aspiring lawyers in Singapore, at the firm Shook Lin & Bok. There, he trained under , a senior partner who later became from 2006 to 2011. This apprenticeship provided hands-on exposure to legal practice, including drafting, research, and court procedures, preparing him for independent . In 1971, Anandan was called to the Bar of the , qualifying him as an advocate and solicitor. This admission followed successful completion of his examinations and , enabling him to commence private practice shortly thereafter.

Initial Practice and Case Volume

Subhas Anandan was called to the Bar in 1971 after obtaining his law degree from the University of in 1970. He began his independent practice that January, initially focusing on civil litigation, accident claims, and disputes rather than criminal matters. This early emphasis aligned with the typical trajectory for new lawyers at the time, who often prioritized less adversarial areas before venturing into high-stakes defense work. Anandan's shift to criminal defense occurred soon thereafter, driven by an influx of clients seeking representation in serious cases and his personal conviction that even those accused of grave crimes deserved competent advocacy to ensure procedural fairness. His inaugural case involved defending a client known as "Tampines Raja," charged with the murder of an individual nicknamed "Beatle." This transition marked the beginning of his specialization, though he continued to selectively accept civil briefs amid growing demand. From the outset of his criminal practice in the , Anandan operated from a small firm and adopted an intensive routine, dedicating weekdays to court appearances and Saturday mornings to client interviews at facilities like Queenstown Remand Prison. This grueling pace reflected the volume of cases he absorbed early on, often involving capital offenses where errors could prove fatal; relatives and external interference added further strain. A notable early setback came in 1976, when rogue police officers framed him for involvement, leading to his detention under the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act and temporary disruption of his practice until release and . Over his four-decade career commencing in 1971, Anandan's caseload expanded substantially, encompassing more than 2,500 total matters and exceeding 1,500 criminal proceedings ranging from and drug trafficking to white-collar offenses. While precise figures for his first few years remain undocumented in available records, the intensity of his early workload—coupled with his reputation for tenacity—laid the foundation for this prolific output, enabling him to represent clients in numerous trials annually as his firm grew.

Specialization in Criminal Defense

Subhas Anandan established himself as a leading figure in criminal defense within Singapore's legal system, concentrating his practice on cases involving grave offenses that often carried severe penalties, including the mandatory death sentence for and major drug trafficking under Singapore's statutes. Over his four-decade career, he managed more than 1,500 criminal matters, spanning , , domestic worker abuse, narcotics offenses, and corruption-related white-collar crimes. This volume of work, frequently undertaken at KhattarWong where he headed the department, honed his expertise in challenging prosecutorial evidence through rigorous and procedural . His specialization emphasized procedural fairness and , principles he applied even to clients accused of the most egregious acts, asserting that the role of defense counsel required safeguarding against potential miscarriages of amid Singapore's deterrent-focused penal . Anandan's method involved exhaustive case preparation, often drawing on forensic analysis and witness scrutiny to mitigate charges or secure reductions, as seen in instances where capital convictions were downgraded to lesser findings. This approach not only elevated the standards of criminal advocacy in a known for high conviction rates but also positioned him as a counterbalance to the state's emphasis on retribution, prioritizing evidentiary rigor over moral judgment of the accused.

Pro Bono Commitments

Subhas Anandan demonstrated a lifelong commitment to work in criminal defense, undertaking such cases long before the practice gained widespread acceptance among Singaporean lawyers. He handled over 2,500 cases throughout his career, with many involving representation for indigent clients accused of serious offenses, including capital crimes, driven by his conviction that every individual deserves a competent defense irrespective of the allegations' severity. Early in his career, Anandan took on "no-hope" cases, such as defending a client named Ramu, whose charge was successfully downgraded to , resulting in a fine of $230; in a subsequent unrelated case involving the same client, his efforts were unsuccessful. He notably represented Took Leng How in the high-profile 2005 trial of eight-year-old Huang Na, persisting despite public backlash and the case's eventual death sentence outcome. Anandan extended services through his firm in community and bail courts, prioritizing access to justice for those unable to afford counsel. His approach emphasized ethical duty over financial gain or publicity, contrasting with what he viewed as performative efforts by some contemporaries; he argued that "however heinous your offence is, I think you deserve a proper defence, especially in capital cases," underscoring his focus on procedural fairness. This dedication earned recognition, including a 2014 honor from the Association of Muslim Lawyers () for championing work in criminal matters. Anandan's efforts influenced broader advocacy for in 's legal system, inspiring grants and bursaries named in his honor post-2015.

Notable Cases and Defenses

High-Profile Murder and Capital Cases

Subhas Anandan represented clients in numerous trials that attracted significant public attention in , many involving the mandatory penalty for under the Penal Code prior to amendments in later years. His defenses often focused on challenging the intent element of or seeking reductions to not amounting to , though outcomes varied with convictions leading to executions in several instances. One of his earliest capital cases was the defense of an individual known as Tampines Raja, charged with the murder of a man referred to as Beatle Raja. Anandan described this as his first murder brief, where he prepared a strategy emphasizing lack of premeditation, but the client deviated during testimony, resulting in a guilty verdict and death sentence. In 2001, Anandan defended Anthony Ler Wee Teang, who planned the murder of his estranged wife, real estate agent Annie Leong, 30, by persuading a 15-year-old boy to stab her to death at a Chinatown hotel. Ler was convicted of murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code and hanged on December 14, 2002, despite Anandan's efforts. Anandan also handled the 2005 Kallang River body parts murder case, representing Leong Siew Chor, who killed his lover, Liu Hong Mei, 22, dismembered her body, and discarded parts along the Kallang River. Convicted of murder in May 2006, Leong's appeal failed, and his death sentence was upheld by the Court of Appeal. The abduction and death of eight-year-old Huang Na in 2004 led to Anandan defending Took Leng How, a Chinese national working at a pasar malam. Took was found guilty of murdering the girl by stuffing her into a yellow bag and hiding her in a toilet cubicle at Bedok Reservoir; his conviction stood after clemency was denied, and he was executed on October 24, 2006. In the 2006 shooting death of nightclub owner Lim Bock Hai, Anandan represented former triad leader , known as the "One-Eyed Dragon," who fired multiple shots at Lim in . Tan was convicted of , his clemency petition rejected, and he was hanged on January 6, 2009.

Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Offenses

Subhas Anandan represented clients in numerous drug trafficking cases throughout his career, offenses punishable under Singapore's Misuse of Drugs Act with mandatory death sentences for quantities exceeding statutory thresholds, such as 15 grams of diamorphine or 500 grams of . Among these, a prominent example was his defense of Julia Suzanne Bohl, a 24-year-old German student arrested in late 2001 for importing and possessing controlled drugs. Initially charged with the capital offense of trafficking over 683 grams of —sufficient to trigger the death penalty—Bohl's charges were downgraded to non-capital possession of , ketamine, marijuana, and other substances after defense submissions and diplomatic efforts by the German embassy. She was convicted in and sentenced to five years' , from which she was released on July 15, 2005, following remission for good behavior. Anandan credited proactive embassy involvement for influencing the charge reduction, contrasting it with slower interventions in other capital cases. In a 2005 High Court proceeding documented as Public Prosecutor v. Oh Boon Chuan (or similar accused with prior convictions), Anandan acted as counsel for a pleading guilty to drug-related charges, including possession and facilitation of trafficking. The client had a history of one prior trafficking and two possession offenses, yet Anandan submitted emphasizing lack of commercial gain and personal circumstances, contributing to the sentencing outcome amid the court's consideration of . Such defenses often involved challenging evidence chains, urging charge reductions below capital thresholds, or seeking clemency, reflecting Anandan's strategy to humanize clients within Singapore's strict deterrence-focused regime. Beyond drug trafficking, Anandan handled other serious non-capital offenses, including , abuse, and , as part of his over 1,500 criminal cases. These typically featured rigorous cross-examinations to contest prosecution narratives, with representation common for indigent accused. In and trials, he emphasized procedural fairness and evidentiary gaps, while kidnapping defenses—like those involving abduction with intent to harm—sought to mitigate sentences through pleas of diminished capacity or lack of premeditation, though specific outcomes varied under mandatory minimums for aggravated variants. His approach prioritized exhaustive appeals against perceived judicial overreach, aligning with his broader critique of inflexible penalties in non-homicide serious crimes.

Views on Criminal Justice

Advocacy Against Mandatory Death Penalty

Subhas Anandan publicly opposed Singapore's mandatory death penalty for , arguing that it denied judges the to tailor sentences to the specifics of each case. He maintained that while the death penalty itself could serve retributive and deterrent purposes in grave offenses, mandatory application ignored mitigating factors such as the offender's intent, background, or lesser role in the crime. This stance was informed by his defense of over 80 capital cases by the mid-2000s, including successful appeals that reduced sentences for clients facing execution. In a 2005 interview, Anandan articulated: "I am not opposed to the death sentence, but I am not in favour of the mandatory death sentence," emphasizing that uniform imposition eroded judicial fairness and potentially led to disproportionate punishments. He advocated for reform allowing trial judges to opt for alternatives like life imprisonment in cases where death was unwarranted, a position he reiterated in his 2016 autobiography The Best I Could, where he critiqued the rigidity of Section 302 of the Penal Code. Anandan's advocacy extended to collective efforts among criminal lawyers; in November 2005, he joined peers in urging the government to repeal mandatory execution provisions, proposing retention of only at judicial to better align with principles of individualized justice. His interview further clarified this nuance, rejecting mandatory death as overly mechanistic while affirming the penalty's role for the most egregious acts. Despite these arguments, retained the mandatory framework until partial amendments in 2012 for drug offenses, which Anandan viewed as insufficient for broader capital crimes.

Broader Perspectives on Deterrence and Punishment

Subhas Anandan maintained that while severe punishments, including the death penalty, served retributive and deterrent purposes in grave offenses, regimes undermined these objectives by stripping judges of to assess case-specific factors such as , , and rehabilitation potential. Having defended over 50 capital cases, he argued that not all offenders convicted of serious crimes warranted execution, as individualized sentencing allowed for punishments calibrated to maximize societal protection without eroding judicial authority. This stance aligned with his broader critique of Singapore's framework, where he prioritized causal factors like offender background over uniform application of penalties. Anandan endorsed deterrence as a core rationale for harsh penalties but contended that mandatory death sentences failed to optimize it, recommending instead judicial discretion to impose selectively where evidence indicated its necessity for preventing or signaling societal intolerance for particular crimes. In advocating reforms through the Association of Criminal Lawyers, which he helped lead, he highlighted empirical observations from his practice: rigid penalties often overlooked opportunities for to achieve equivalent or superior deterrent effects in cases involving lesser , such as coerced participation in drug trafficking. His position drew from direct experience with offenders, where he noted that fear of punishment influenced behavior more through perceived fairness than inevitability. In The Best I Could (2009) and It's Easy to Cry (2015), Anandan reflected on punishment's limits, asserting that over-reliance on execution neglected rehabilitation for redeemable individuals and risked miscarriages of , potentially diminishing public trust in deterrence's efficacy. He urged a balanced approach integrating retribution with empirical of outcomes, cautioning against policies driven by political expediency rather than of reduced rates. This perspective, informed by his handling of more than 1,500 cases, emphasized causal realism in sentencing: punishments must address root motivations to prevent future offenses effectively.

Criticisms and Controversies

Ethical Challenges in Defending Heinous Crimes

Subhas Anandan encountered significant ethical scrutiny for representing clients accused of particularly egregious offenses, such as the murder of eight-year-old Huang Na by Took Leng How, whom he defended at the request of the victim's family from , and the notorious , convicted of multiple s. Critics questioned the moral implications of vigorously advocating for individuals whose guilt appeared evident, arguing that such defenses prolonged victims' suffering or undermined public . Anandan countered these concerns by emphasizing that defense counsel's role is confined to ensuring procedural fairness, not assessing guilt, stating, "The system says that he must be tried in court. So as a lawyer, our job is only to prepare the best defence for him, not decide if he is guilty or not. If he is found guilty, then fine, punish him. I walk away with a clear ." A core ethical tension arose from the versus the defense of potentially culpable parties in capital cases, where Anandan handled over 1,500 matters, rejecting about 10% due to clients' or lack of , as he refused to represent those who lied, querying, "How can I defend him in court if he lies to me?" He explicitly avoided moral judgment, asserting, "I never take the high moral ground when it comes to defending an accused person," and maintained that selective case acceptance would erode his professional credibility and the adversarial system's integrity. This stance drew public ire, including curses from victims' families and death threats following losses like his first murder trial, where he received threats involving a kavadi ritual; such backlash highlighted the personal risks and societal disdain faced by lawyers upholding defendants' rights amid heinous allegations. Anandan's prior nine-month detention in 1976 under the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act for suspected links profoundly shaped his resilience, fostering empathy for the incarcerated and reinforcing his commitment to defendants regardless of offense severity, as he noted that understanding their plight better enabled kinder advocacy. He articulated that belief in fair trials for even "the most heinous offenders" alleviated personal guilt, allowing him to "sleep at night" by focusing on systemic duties over individual revulsion. Despite occasional offers of illicit incentives, like health treatments from clients such as , which raised propriety questions, Anandan adhered to rejecting untrustworthy representations, prioritizing ethical boundaries within Singapore's stringent legal framework. Anandan repeatedly criticized Singapore's mandatory death penalty for drug trafficking and , arguing that it deprived judges of discretion to consider mitigating factors in individual cases. In a 2005 statement, he emphasized, "I am not opposed to the death sentence, but I am not in favour of the mandatory death sentence," noting his experience defending over 50 capital cases where rigid application led to potentially unjust outcomes. He advocated for allowing judicial weighing of circumstances, such as the offender's role or , to better align sentencing with causal factors like and rehabilitation potential rather than blanket deterrence. As president of the Association of Criminal Lawyers (ACLS), founded in 2004, Anandan led efforts to reform laws, including support for 2012 amendments that introduced exceptions for low-level drug offenders cooperating with authorities. He viewed these changes as recognizing societal treatment of the vulnerable but warned that proving courier status remained challenging, potentially perpetuating tensions between enforcement rigidity and evidentiary fairness. His position contrasted with the government's emphasis on mandatory penalties for their empirical deterrent effect on 's low crime rates, highlighting a core friction: Anandan prioritized case-specific justice over uniform severity, which he believed could undermine public trust if miscarriages occurred. Personal experiences intensified these tensions; in 1987, Anandan was detained without trial for 10 months under the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act amid operations against secret societies, an episode he later described as testing his resolve but reinforcing his commitment to defending the accused regardless of . This internal security measure, aimed at preventive justice, clashed with his first-principles view of , as he argued in posthumous writings that such laws risked eroding individual rights without sufficient oversight. His 2015 book The Best I Could, released after his death, further strained relations with authorities; the Law Ministry disputed certain accounts of prosecutorial conduct and judicial decisions, accusing them of inaccuracies that misrepresented systemic fairness. Anandan used the work to critique broader elements like the lack of for indigent defendants and over-reliance on confessions, positing that Singapore's punitive framework, while effective for order, sometimes prioritized efficiency over exhaustive truth-seeking in trials. Despite these clashes, he acknowledged the system's overall efficacy in maintaining low through swift, certain punishment, but maintained that reforms for would enhance legitimacy without compromising deterrence.

Personal Life and Publications

Family and Private Interests

Subhas Anandan was born on 25 December 1947 as the second of five children in a Malayalee family originating from , . His family migrated to when he was five months old, settling there permanently. Anandan was married to Vimala Anandan, with whom he had one son, Sujesh Anandan. Sujesh, born in the late 1980s or early 1990s, pursued a legal career, qualifying as a and entering criminal practice, often invoking his father's influence in high-profile defenses. Anandan emphasized raising his son to prioritize character over professional success, stating in reflections that he valued Sujesh developing into "a good human being" capable of contributing positively to , regardless of occupation. In his private life, Anandan maintained interests outside his legal career, including ownership of luxury cars, which reflected his affinity for high-end automobiles. He also collected antique and miniature swords, sabres, and traditional Malay krises, amassing items that highlighted a personal fascination with historical weaponry and cultural artifacts. These pursuits provided a contrast to his demanding professional schedule, though Anandan later expressed regret over imbalances in his priorities, noting excessive focus on career acclaim at the expense of family time.

Written Works and Public Reflections

Subhas Anandan authored The Best I Could, published in 2009 by International, which serves as the first volume of his and chronicles his career defending accused persons in Singapore's criminal courts. The book details high-profile cases such as those involving and capital charges, offering firsthand accounts of trial strategies, interactions with clients from marginalized backgrounds, and critiques of systemic biases favoring prosecution, including presumptions of guilt by some judges. Anandan emphasized his commitment to underdogs, recounting how he grew up among "tough guys" in environments and applied that empathy to represent clients others deemed indefensible. A posthumous sequel, It's Easy to Cry, released in 2015 by Marshall Cavendish, extends the narrative with additional case reflections, including defenses of individuals like Anthony Ler in sensational trials. In this volume, Anandan reiterated concerns over the mandatory death penalty's rigidity, arguing it undermined judicial discretion and fair outcomes, while sharing personal vulnerabilities such as emotional tolls from repeated losses. Both works blend legal analysis with memoir, providing empirical insights into Singapore's criminal justice dynamics, such as investigative pressures on suspects and the challenges of proving innocence against circumstantial evidence. In public interviews and oral histories, Anandan voiced broader reflections on deterrence's limits, asserting that harsh punishments like the death penalty failed to curb among determined offenders and instead exacerbated inequalities for the poor and uneducated. He described the as inherently tilted, with defense lawyers facing resource disparities and societal stigma, yet maintained that ethical required zealous representation regardless of public revulsion toward clients' crimes. These statements, drawn from platforms like archived oral histories, underscored his first-hand observations of over 700 capital cases, where he claimed acquittals or reductions were rare due to evidentiary hurdles rather than lack of merit.

Death and Immediate Aftermath

Health Decline and Passing

Subhas Anandan suffered multiple serious health setbacks throughout his career, including three heart attacks in 1978, 1993, and 1997, for which he underwent a heart bypass and . In 2001, he lost one to cancer, and he also managed as a . Despite these challenges, Anandan continued his legal practice without significant interruption until his later years. In 2014, his health deteriorated markedly with a diagnosis of heart and , which sidelined him from work for approximately six months and required thrice-weekly dialysis sessions. This acute decline compounded his prior conditions, leading to hospitalization at . Anandan passed away on 7, 2015, at the age of 67, due to heart failure while undergoing a routine dialysis treatment at the hospital.

Funeral and Tributes

Subhas Anandan's funeral was held on the evening of 8 January 2015 at in . More than 400 mourners filled the hall, with additional crowds gathering outside, reflecting his widespread respect within the legal community and beyond. Attendees included prominent figures such as former President , Chief Justice , members of the legal fraternity, and several of Anandan's former clients. A wake had preceded the funeral at Anandan's Leonie Hill residence on 7 and 8 January, drawing a steady stream of family, friends, and colleagues over two days. Eulogies during the service highlighted Anandan's dedication to work and his compassionate approach beneath a tough demeanor. and Minister , a longtime friend and fellow , delivered a describing Anandan as "much admired, loved and respected," emphasizing his unwavering commitment to clients regardless of public opinion. Tributes from peers portrayed Anandan as a with "a heart of gold beneath tough exterior," underscoring his role in defending the vulnerable and his influence on criminal defense practice in . His family, including wife Vimala and son Sujesh, received condolences from the assembled gathering, which spanned lawyers, judges, and ordinary citizens who viewed him as a household name for advocating for those without alternatives.

Legacy

Institutional Honors and Funds

In recognition of Subhas Anandan's lifelong commitment to criminal defense and legal work, several educational and rehabilitative institutions established funds and bursaries bearing his name following his death in 2015. The Fund Subhas Anandan Star Bursary Award, launched in October 2014 with an initial corpus of S$250,000 raised through public donations, provides financial assistance to ex-offenders pursuing , enabling their reintegration into through skill-building and second chances. The (SMU) Yong Pung How School of Law created the Subhas Anandan Legacy Fund in 2017, seeded by contributions from his family, friends, and supporters totaling S$120,000. This fund supports the Subhas Anandan Bursary, offering up to S$5,000 annually to full-time undergraduate law students facing financial difficulties, as well as activities for the school's Club. At the (NUS) Faculty of Law, RHTLaw Asia LLP—Anandan's former firm—established the RHTLaw Asia Subhas Anandan Award to perpetuate his advocacy for indigent clients, particularly in criminal cases. The award grants funding to student-led projects, with the inaugural disbursement occurring after 2015 to advance access to justice initiatives. Additionally, RHTLaw Asia introduced the RHT Subhas Anandan Bursary in 2015, formally launched in 2016, to aid deserving students—initially including recipients from polytechnics—in honor of Anandan's vision for staff welfare and educational support within his professional circle. Subhas Anandan's co-founding of the Association of Criminal Lawyers Singapore (ACLS) in 2004 established a dedicated platform for advancing criminal law development and advocating for the interests of defense practitioners amid a prosecution-dominant system. As its first president, he facilitated discussions on systemic issues, including prosecutorial discretion and judicial biases toward presuming guilt, as highlighted in his critiques during the 2008 ACLS lecture series. This organization continues to influence policy dialogues, contributing to reforms such as enhancements in the Criminal Procedure Code of 2010 that aimed to bolster defense rights. His commitment to pro bono representation in criminal cases, often handling them without fee to ensure access to fair trials, set a for ethical defense work in Singapore's legal landscape, where such efforts predated widespread institutional emphasis. This legacy is perpetuated through the RHTLaw Asia Subhas Anandan Grant, launched in 2016 by the of Singapore's Centre for and Clinical , which funds initiatives mirroring his free legal clinics and aid for indigent defendants in criminal matters. Anandan's public reflections, including in his 2016 autobiography The Best I Could, underscored the emotional and professional rigors of criminal defense, inspiring subsequent generations to prioritize client liberties over glamour, despite the field's low prestige and high attrition. By defending over 2,500 cases—many high-profile and heinous—without seeking status, he demonstrated that impact derives from persistent advocacy rather than formal elevation, fostering a cultural shift toward viewing criminal lawyers as essential safeguards against miscarriages of . His efforts elevated the discourse on second chances and procedural fairness, as evidenced by the broad tributes following his 2015 death, which affirmed his role in humanizing the profession for ordinary litigants.

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