On 12 November 2008, the Attorney-General’s application for an order of committal against Gopalan Nair (the Respondent) for contempt of court was heard in the Subordinate Courts before District Judge Leslie Chew. The Attorney-General was represented in the proceedings by the Deputy Solicitor-General and a team of legal officers.

The proceedings instituted by the Attorney-General arose out of utterances made by the Respondent in the course of a trial in the Subordinate Courts as well as for two blog posts made in connection with the aforesaid trial.

In his utterances made in open court, the Respondent had attacked the independence and impartiality of the Singapore Judiciary and District Judge James Leong by stating, inter alia, that the courts were being abused for political ends. The Respondent has also attacked the independence and impartiality of the Singapore Judiciary and District Judge James Leong in his blog “Singapore Dissident” at http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/ through his following two blog posts:

(i) a blog post titled Another classic case of trying to use the courts to silence dissent, dated 1 September 2008; and

(ii) a blog post titled Convicted, dated 6 September 2008.

In the proceedings on 12 November 2008, the Respondent admitted in open court that he had made the utterances and statements that were punishable as contempt of court. He then went on to offer an unreserved apology to the court and to District Judge James Leong for the offending utterances and statements made by him.

The Respondent also proceeded to state, in public and on record, that he unconditionally withdrew the allegations made against District Judge James Leong and any statements imputing that the Singapore courts are beholden to the government. The Respondent further undertook in public not to make such statements in future and to remove the offending blog posts as soon as practicable.

In view of the Respondent’s unreserved apologies and undertakings which were made in public and on record, the Deputy Solicitor-General informed the court that the Attorney-General would not be pressing for the Respondent to be sent to jail

District Judge Leslie Chew then found that the Respondent had purged his contempt and, in view of the Respondent’s remorse, admonished him in open court. The Respondent was also warned against launching attacks against the Singapore Judiciary in future. In addition he was ordered to pay legal costs to the Attorney-General. 


ATTORNEY-GENERAL'S CHAMBERS
13 NOVEMBER 2008