Family of Dinesh Raman will appeal today’s decision
SINGAPORE, October 16, 2013– Today, Singapore High Court Justice Tay Yong Kwang dismissed the application for judicial review of the Corner’s decision to discontinue the inquiry into the death of 21 year old Singaporean, Dinesh Ramesh, who died in the custody of guards in Changi Prison. The application for review was filed by Dinesh’s mother, Madam Selvi D/O Narayanasamy, who was represented by lawyers Mr M Ravi and Mr Eugene Thuraisingam. Mdm Selvi states that she is deeply disappointed in the High Court’s decision and she will make an application to take her case to the Court of Appeal.
In reply submissions filed in court today, Mdm Selvi’s attorneys highlighted that in the Coroner’s Notes of Evidence, it was documented that the Coroner had made only one single statement of inquiry upon learning that senior prison guard Deputy Superintendent Lim Kwo Yin, 36, had pled guilty to “death by negligence” before concluding that there was no reason to resume his inquiry into the cause of Disnesh Raman’s death.
The Coroner’s notes reveal that the Coroner asked one and only question, “What should he have done?” The question refers to Officer Lim’s act of negligence.
The Coroner was informed that Deputy Superintendent Lim should “have discovered, should have intervened earlier.”
“The fact that [the Coroner] asked cursorily what the officer should have done and left it as that, shows that the Coroner had already decided to not resume the inquiry because someone had been charged, and certainly not because the criminal proceedings make it unnecessary for him to investigate how the deceased came to his death. How could he come to this rational decision without having asked any questions or without having considered the conditioned statements tendered to him?” Mdm Selvi’s attorneys inquired in their written reply to the Prosecution submitted in the Court today.
Please refer to the Applicant’s Submissions and Reply Submissions attached
OS 753 OF 2013 – Applicant’s Reply Submissions