The Honourable
Judith Prakash
Prakash speaking at SMU's 2023 Commencement
Judge of Appeal of the Court of Appeal
Assumed office
1 August 2016
Appointed byTony Tan
Judge of the Supreme Court
In office
1 April 1995 – 31 July 2016
Appointed byOng Teng Cheong
Judicial Commissioner of Singapore
In office
1 April 1992 – 1 April 1995
Appointed byWee Kim Wee
Personal details
Born
Judith Evelyn de Cruz

(1951-12-19) 19 December 1951 (age 72)
NationalitySingaporean
Alma materUniversity of Singapore Raffles Girls' School (Secondary)

Judith Evelyn Jyothi Prakash (born 19 December 1951) is a Singaporean judge in the Supreme Court. Her brother is ambassador Simon Tensing de Cruz.[1] Prakash was appointed a permanent Judge of Appeal of the Court of Appeal of Singapore on 1 August 2016, the first woman to hold this post.[2] During her time on the bench, she was also Judge of the Dubai International Financial Centre Courts, where she heard appeal matters.[3]

After graduating from National University of Singapore, where she obtained a first-class honours degree,[4] Prakash did her pupillage under David Marshall though she initially found the practice of criminal law not something that suited her.[5] Before her appointment to the bench, she was a partner specialising in shipping and commercial law in Drew & Napier. Prakash was inducted in 2016 to the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame and has chaired the Raffles' Girls School Board of Governors since 1996.[1] She is also on the Board of Trustees of SINDA.[6] She was, until 2022, the Lead Judge in the Supreme Court for arbitration matters.[7]

Prakash is the chair of the Law Reform Committee and Publications Committee of the Singapore Academy of Law, and also sits on the Medical Litigation Review Committee which examines issues relating to medical litigation.[2]

Prakash was a member of the sub-committee on the Review of Arbitration Laws, appointed by the Attorney-General in 1991, that made recommendations on Singapore's laws relating to international commercial arbitration and which led to the enactment of the International Arbitration Act in 1994.[8]

On 15 June 2023, it was announced that Prakash will be appointed a Senior Judge as of 2 Jan 2024.[9] In the course of her career till she was appointed as a Senior Judge, she has written approximately 645 judgments. As a Senior Judge, she will be hearing complex cases in the Court of Appeal.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b "Judith Prakash". Singapore Women's Hall of Fame. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  2. ^ a b Appointments to the Supreme Court Bench, Prime Minister's Office, 29 June 2016, archived from the original on 3 July 2016.
  3. ^ "Justice Judith Prakash". Singapore Judiciary. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  4. ^ "Justice Judith Prakash's magnificent legal career winds down". www.singaporelawwatch.sg. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  5. ^ "In Conversation with: Justice Judith Prakash". insight.mlaw.gov.sg. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  6. ^ "You are being redirected..." www.sinda.org.sg. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  7. ^ "Justice Judith Prakash". Judiciary. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  8. ^ International Arbitration Act (Cap. 143A, 2002 Rev. Ed.).
  9. ^ siti_aishah_sulaiman (15 June 2023). "PMO | Appointments and Reappointment of Supreme Court Judges, Senior Judges, Presiding Judge (Family Justice Courts) and Judicial Commissioner (June 2023)". Prime Minister's Office Singapore. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  10. ^ "Justice Judith Prakash's magnificent legal career winds down". www.singaporelawwatch.sg. Retrieved 20 December 2023.

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