Manjeet's advocacy a courtroom masterclass, says fellow lawyer
Published on: Tuesday, May 27, 2025
Published on: Tue, May 27, 2025
By: V Anbalagan, FMT Text Size: Manjeet Singh Dhillon died at his home in Bukit Damansara last October at the age of 82. Kuala Lumpur: The late Manjeet Singh Dhillon was beyond a shadow of a doubt one of the best criminal lawyers this country ever has produced, and was especially skilled in cross-examining prosecution witnesses, a lawyer said. Ravinder Singh Dhalliwal said Manjeet's courtroom advocacy was 'an art and a joy to watch'. 'Manjeet's cross-examinations were legendary—precise, cutting, and always with purpose,' he said at a reference proceeding held on Friday for 20 legal practitioners who passed away last year. Justices Amarjeet Singh and Anand Ponnudurai co-presided over the event at the High Court here. According to Ravinder, Manjeet often said: 'Go for the jugular. Don't waste time with irrelevant questions.' He said Manjeet defended some of the most difficult cases, including the S. Nallakaruppan arms possession case as well as the murder trials of cosmetics millionaire Sosilawati Lawiya and former minister Mokhtar Hashim.
Advertisement 'He stood in the fire when others backed away from the heat,' said Ravinder. Manjeet also represented Abdul Razak Baginda, a former aide of ex-prime minister Najib Razak, in a RM100 million civil suit filed by the late Altantuya Shaariibuu's family. Manjeet was also described as a wordsmith, and was a skilled writer who expertly used language—often with a focus on creativity and eloquence. Manjeet, Ravinder said, stood as both a pillar of the legal fraternity and a relentless sentinel of justice. 'He was, in the truest and most noble sense of the word, a 'lawyer's lawyer'. He was not merely learned in law – he was devoted to its spirit, uncompromising in its ethics, and unafraid in its pursuit,' he added. Noted for his no-nonsense approach in human affairs, Ravinder said Manjeet also had a soft spot for animals and once served as president of PAWS Animal Welfare Society. He read law at Middle Temple and was admitted to the Bar in 1977. Manjeet served as magistrate, sessions court judge, deputy public prosecutor, and Treasury solicitor before going into private practice. He also served as the Malaysian Bar's secretary and vice-president before being its president in 1991 and 1992. Prior to embarking on his legal career, Manjeet was an English teacher, having trained as an educator at Kirby in the United Kingdom. He said Manjeet could be confrontational, even difficult, but always spoke the truth, even if it was liable to backfire on him. Ravinder said that in the tumultuous wake of the 1988 judicial crisis, 'when the rule of law trembled beneath executive force', Manjeet, as the Bar secretary, affirmed an affidavit alleging misconduct by then acting lord president Hamid Omar. The affidavit accused Hamid of attempting to prevent, frustrate and interfere with a Supreme Court sitting relating to proceedings involving his predecessor, Salleh Abas. Manjeet's affidavit was filed in support of an application seeking committal proceedings against Hamid for contempt of court. This led to contempt proceedings against Manjeet himself, for which he was found guilty and fined. 'Above all, Manjeet was a true officer of the court – not just in title, but in spirit. His loyalty was to justice, not favour; his conscience owed allegiance only to the law,' he said. Ravinder said, upon Manjeet's passing, tributes poured in from across the legal and political spectrum. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim described Manjeet as a remarkable lawyer and a dear personal friend. Manjeet, aged 82, died at his home in Bukit Damansara here on Oct 28. Also present at the reference proceedings were Bar secretary Murshidah Mustafa, Kuala Lumpur Bar committee chairman Nimalan Devaraja and Joennily @ Siti Badariah Yusof, representing the Attorney-General's Chambers. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Express
3 hours ago
- Daily Express
MCMC says no personal data involved in phone record request
Published on: Saturday, June 07, 2025 Published on: Sat, Jun 07, 2025 By: FMT Reporters Text Size: For illustrative purposes only. - Getty Images PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission has defended its directive requiring phone companies to hand over data on all mobile phone calls made from January to March. The commission said no personal information would be accessed, processed, or disclosed by the commission. It said that the data requested was anonymised and contained no information that can be used to identify any person. Advertisement The telecommunications companies are given the option to either process the data within their own secure environment and submit the required anonymised and aggregated output to the MCMC; or for those without processing capabilities, submit the anonymised data to the commission for processing. 'In both cases, no individual subscriber can be identified through the data collected,' MCMC said in a statement this evening. The statement came hours after the South China Morning Post , quoting industry sources, said that Putrajaya had ordered mobile phone companies to hand over detailed records of phone calls and internet usage as it broadens controls over online activity. The Post's sources said MCMC had sent a letter to telcos calling up detailed call and internet logs for the first three months of this year, as part of the government's mobile phone data project. The data collected would be used strictly for generating official statistics to support 'evidence-based policymaking'. Advertisement It sought such statistics such as the number of active mobile broadband subscriptions and penetration rates by state, district, mukim, local authority and parliamentary and state constituencies. The data was also used for tourism-related purposes, such as generating indicators on visitor numbers and domestic travel trends, MCMC said. 'The use of mobile phone data as a new source of national statistics is a strategic direction set by the government to strengthen the quality and timeliness of statistical outputs for policy and planning purposes,' it added. - FMT * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Daily Express
9 hours ago
- Daily Express
Processing, sale of ketum juice: 4 arrested in Kota Belud
Published on: Saturday, June 07, 2025 Published on: Sat, Jun 07, 2025 By: R Gonzales Text Size: Some of the suspects arrested. KOTA BELUD: Four men aged between 20 and 50 were arrested in separate raids across several villages in the district for suspected involvement in the processing and sale of ketum juice. Kota Belud District Police Chief Supt Shahrudin Mat Husain said a team from the Narcotics Criminal Investigation Division of Kota Belud District Police Headquarters (IPD) conducted the raids from May 24 to June 5. Advertisement He said the arrests were made following intelligence gathering in Kampung Taun Gusi, Tampasuk 1, Kampung Suang Punggur, Kampung Pintasan and Kampung Ambong. 'The first arrest involved a man at a house in Kampung Pintasan at 11.30am, along with the seizure of eight bottles containing 1.5 litres of ketum juice. 'In the second raid at 3.25pm at a house in Kampung Taun Gusi, a man was arrested along with 24 bottles, each containing 1.5 litres of ketum juice,' he said. On June 5, a raid was conducted at a house in Kampung Ambong where another two men were arrested along with 10 bottles containing 1.5 litres of ketum juice. Advertisement 'Several items believed used to prepare the ketum juice were also seized. 'Further investigations revealed that the ketum juice was sold to customers at RM25 to RM30 per bottle,' he said. Shahrudin said the suspects are being investigated under Section 30(3) of the Poisons Act 1952, and if found guilty, they could be fined up to RM100,000, jailed for up to five years, or both, on conviction. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Daily Express
10 hours ago
- Daily Express
Plans for aircraft replica at Tanjung Aru park
Published on: Saturday, June 07, 2025 Published on: Sat, Jun 07, 2025 By: Crystal E Hermenegildus Text Size: The Double Six tragedy in 1976. Kota Kinabalu: There are plans to build a replica of the Nomad aircraft involved in the 1976 Double Six tragedy at Prince Philip Park, Tanjung Aru, as part of its redevelopment, says Tanjung Aru Eco-Development (TAED) Chairman Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia. He said the intention is not to relocate the existing memorial in Sembulan but to create an additional site of remembrance within the redeveloped Prince Philip Park. Advertisement 'This is about helping the public, especially younger people, understand the importance of the June 6, 1976 tragedy, which took the lives of several State leaders, including former Chief Minister Tun Fuad Stephens,' he told reporters after attending the 49th anniversary commemoration at the crash site in Sembulan on Friday (June 6). Acknowledging that the idea of a replica might be painful for some victims' families, he expressed willingness to meet them personally and adjust the plans if needed. He said it is not to sensationalise the event, but to honour those who perished. Pandikar said the park's redevelopment will also include elements that highlight Sabah's historical journey, such as a museum-like archive showcasing the State's path to independence. 'People might not go out of their way to visit formal archives, but if we place educational elements in a park they already enjoy, it becomes a space for everyday learning,' he said. The Double Six memorial component is expected to cost between RM100,000 and RM200,000, forming part of the larger RM35 million park redevelopment project. Pandikar expressed concern that many Malaysians, especially those from Peninsular Malaysia, are still unaware of the tragedy. He said during a recent talk most attendees had never heard of the incident. He supports the idea of incorporating the Double Six tragedy into the national school syllabus and was encouraged by the high turnout of young people at the recent remembrance ceremony. 'While the Sembulan site remains the official memorial, we support establishing more access points nearby to help more people, including foreigners, understand this important part of our history,' he said. The revitalisation of Prince Philip Park is part of a broader eco-tourism initiative under the Tanjung Aru Eco-Development plan. 'Our goal is to turn the park into a space that preserves memories, promotes learning and reflects our identity as Sabahans,' Pandikar said. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
