Former lawyer M Ravi dies aged 56; police investigating unnatural death

[SINGAPORE] Suspended activist lawyer Ravi Madasamy, better known as M Ravi, has been found dead in the early hours of Dec 24.

The Straits Times understands police are investigating a case of unnatural death.

Lawyer Eugene Thuraisingam, who had previously represented Ravi in court, said the pair were friends. He added that he was deeply saddened by the news of his passing.

“He has had his struggles but was always true to the cause he fought with all his heart. The cases he argued has helped shape constitutional law in Singapore.

“He has contributed to and will be missed by the legal profession,” said Thuraisingam.

Shashi Nathan said that Ravi, 56, was a good man who had contributed to the law.

“Ravi was often divisive and went against the grain. But deep down I always sensed he had a good heart and wanted the best for his clients.

“He was fearless in his advocacy and would often push the envelope,” said Nathan.

Ravi told reporters in 2005 that his father, who died in 2003, was an alcoholic who was in and out of jail most of his life.

His mother worked as a construction labourer to support the family. She died in 2000, aged 59.

Ravi, who was one of seven children in his family, studied law in England after graduating from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1993. He started practising in 1997.

He remained a controversial figure in the law fraternity, with one court previously noting that the suspended lawyer was no stranger to disciplinary proceedings.

Ravi was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2006.

Past incidents of improper conduct have included making baseless allegations with respect to key legal institutions and being disruptive in the courtroom, to improper handling of clients.

Over the past two decades, he has been handed sanctions ranging from monetary penalties to suspensions from practice on two previous occasions.

Ravi had been struck off the rolls by the Court of Three Judges over two separate matters.

The first instance was after he made “false and unwarranted attacks” on his Facebook page in August 2020 against then President Halimah Yacob, as well as then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and former PM Goh Chok Tong.

Separately, Ravi had continually interrupted a High Court Judge in November 2021, accusing the judge of being biased and falsely claiming that his client wanted to drop the suit.

He was representing a former SBS Transit bus driver who had sued the transport operator at the time.

Investigations later found that Ravi got a paralegal from his firm to write to the court, indicating that the client wanted him to continue to act for him in the suit, despite having been discharged by the client.

He was serving a five-year suspension – the maximum under the law – for making “baseless and grave” allegations against the Attorney-General’s Chambers and the Law Society.

This arose from comments he had made to socio-political website The Online Citizen, and comments he posted on Facebook after a court of appeal had reversed his client’s death sentence in 2020. THE STRAITS TIMES