Criminal lawyer Subhas Anandan died in Singapore General Hospital on the morning of 7 January, Wednesday. He was aged 67.
Senior lawyer and his long time friend Amolat Singh confirmed Mr Subhas’s passing with local media.
A founding member and the first president of the Association of Criminal Lawyers in Singapore, Mr Subhas gained a reputation for defending notorious criminals, at times pro bono.
He took up the cases of Anthony Ler, who hired a teenager to kill his wife in 2001; Took Leng How, a vegetable packer who befriended and killed eight-year-old girl Huang Na in 2004; and Leong Siew Chor from the Kallang body parts case.
His career saw him taking up more than 2,500 cases since he was called to the Bar in 1971 after graduating locally, and his second book, It’s Easy To Cry, is due for publishing later this year.
Subhas is well-regarded as a leading criminal lawyer in Singapore and was awarded the Legal Eagle Award in 2001 by the Law Society of Singapore. In 2003, Asian Legal Business also presented him with an award for his outstanding performance in criminal law.
A bursary for ex-inmates, “Yellow Ribbon Fund Subhas Anandan Star Bursary Award” was launched in his name on 28 October last year provides financial support for ex-convicts who wish to further their studies, allowing them a second chance to realise their dreams.
Mr Subhas found out that he was suffering from kidney failure early last year. He also suffered a heart failure in 2008, three heart attacks since 1978, and lost one kidney to cancer in 2001. He also has diabetes and blocked intestines.
He leaves behind his wife, Vimala, 56, and son Sujesh, 24.