Â鶹APP

Singapore (Singapore City), June 27, 2013. Foreign Minister Ricardo Patiño met with Foreign Minister K Shanmugam. Photo: Xavier Granja Cedeño – Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility by Cancillería Ecuador –

Top 10 Unknown Facts About K. Shanmugam

Kasiviswanathan (patronymic name) Shanmugam popularly known as K. Shanmugam is the current Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of Law in Singapore.  He is a member of the governing party People’s Action Party (PAP) and has been serving as a member of the parliament of Chong Pang Ward of Nee Soon Group Representation Constituency (GRC) from 2011 till date. 

1. Shanmugam Was the Top Law Student in His Class for 3 years

Kasiviswanathan was an intelligent student acquiring various awards while he was in law school. He studied law at the National University of Singapore’s Faculty of Law and graduated with First Class Honours in 1984. He even earned a scholarship for being a top student in his class from first to third year.

He was awarded the  Adrian Clarke Memorial Medal, Leow Chia Heng Prize, External Examiner’s Prize, and the 1984 Montrose Memorial Prize for being the best student in the module Jurisprudence. 

2. He Represented Singapore in the 1984 International Moot Competition

Shanmugam was part of the team that represented Singapore in the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition in 1984. The competition has been held annually since 1960 and attracts over 700 competing law schools. The team won Runner-up in the International Division. The National University of Singapore holds the second-best record with a four-time champion win and 8-time runner-up. The University of Sydney holds the record for the greatest number of championships.

3. He is a Lawyer by Profession

K. Shanmugam, Foreign Minister of Singapore in meeting with Iranian Parliament chairman Ali Larijani by Tasnim News Agency –

Before joining politics, Shanmugam was a practicing lawyer having established himself well in cases of arbitration, litigation, and insolvency. He got admitted to the Bar as an advocate and solicitor in 1985 and began practice as a Head of Litigation and Dispute Resolution at Allen and Gledhill, the largest law firm in Singapore.

At age 38, Shanmugam was the youngest lawyer to be appointed to Senior Counsel (SC) of the Singaporean Supreme Court. Davinder Singh, a former politician, and K. Shanmugam are known as twin titans of litigation

4. He is The Treasurer of the Central Executive Committee in the People’s Action Party (PAP)

The People’s Action Party Headquarters at Block 57B New Upper Changi Road, #01-1402, Singapore by Alheych – Wikimedia Commons

K. Shanmugam holds the position of treasurer with Ong Ye Kung, Minister of Health, serving as Assistant Treasurer at CEC. The current Central Executive Committee of PAP has 18 members. The election of the Committee took place on 15^th November 2020 making it the 36^th Committee since its establishment in 1957.

5. Shanmugam Was the Legal Representative in Defamation Lawsuits Against 3 Prime Ministers

Hammer, Libra Dish Justice Law by Succo –

In 1995, Shanmugam represented the International Herald Tribune newspaper against current Prime Minister Lee Hsein Loong and former Prime Ministers Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong. The two former Prime Ministers had initiated a civil lawsuit against the paper for written defamation. The article stated Lee Hsei attained his position through nepotism from his father.

Despite being friends with his opponents, K. Shanmugam handled the lawsuit professionally with no biased accounts.

6. He was President of the Singapore India Development Association (SINDA)

Shanmugam is of Indian originally from Tamil. He was the president of the Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA) for 7 years (March 2002 to 2009). SINDA was established to focus on the educational and socio-economic matters of the Indian community of Singapore. K.Shanmugam is listed as a life trustee of the Association.

7. Shanmugam Was Son-in-Law of Kasinather Saunthararajah (K.S Rjah)

New Supreme Court, Singapore by Zairon –

Shanmugam was married to Dr. Jothie Rajah, a research professor with whom he has 2 children. She was the daughter of Senior Counsel and Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court of Singapore, Kasinather Saunthararajah (K.S Rjah). They were together for 15 years before filing for a divorce due to mutual incompatibility.

He married his current wife Seetha Shanmugam who is a clinical psychologist in 2018. Shanmugam is quite a private person and keeps his personal life out of the public eye.

8. He is a Member of the Singaporian Cabinet

Shanmugam is one of the 20 members of the fifth Cabinet of Lee Hsein Loong. He joined the cabinet after replacing S.Jayakumar as Minister for Law. Singapore inherited the British Westminster System of Government where the executive power lies on the Cabinet. The cabinet is responsible for all government policies and daily administration of affairs of the state.

9. He is a Member of The Select Committee on Deliberate Online Falsehoods

In 2017, Shanmugam called for a review of the existing laws to fight against false news claiming such news could possibly cause panic to the public, damage people’s stature, and waste emergency resources. The Select Committee on Deliberate Online Falsehoods was formed in 2018 to report issues of intentional online fabrications. The committee consists of 10 ministers and members of parliaments.

10. Shanmugam Made Empathetical Changes to The Criminal and Family Justice System

When K. Shanmugam served as Minister of Law, he made the existing laws more compassionate looking out for vulnerable people. Some of his notable works were the enactment of the Protection from Harassment Act to provide a source of help for harassment victims, the establishment of a stand-alone Protection from Harassment Court to allow protection to all victims, provided government funds for legal representation of the accused, aiding families to navigate the legal system efficiently by using less time and resources, the establishment of sentences based on rehabilitating the offenders through community work. He advocated for a comprehensive review of women’s issues and gender equality.

Despite being a Hindu, Shanmugam engages himself in activities of different religions. He was invited by the Apostolic Nuncio to Singapore, Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli, and the head of the Catholic Church in Singapore, Archbishop William Goh, to attend a Sunday mass at Saint Joseph’s Church in Victoria Street . He even met Pope Francis in Vatican City and stated that the Pope demonstrated religion through his actions and word in real life.