PANNIR SELVAM PRANTHAMAN v ATTORNEY-GENERAL OF SINGAPORE

[2025] SGCA 43 Court of Appeal 5 September 2025 CA/OA 5/2025 ( CA/SUM 11/2025 ) 37 min read
23 cases cited

Key facts

Court Court of Appeal
Decided
Judges Belinda Ang Saw Ean, Judith Prakash, See Kee Oon, Sundaresh Menon, Woo Bih Li
Charges / claim Constitutional Law, Criminal Procedure and Sentencing
Counsel Attorney-General's Chambers, Eugene Thuraisingam LLP, Too Xing Ji LLC, Darren Ang Jin Wee, Eugene Singarajah Thuraisingam, Ng Yuan Siang, Suang Wijaya, Terence Chua Seng Leng, Too Xing Ji, Wuan Kin Lek Nicholas (Yin Jianli)

Source: [2025] SGCA 43, Court of Appeal, decided — eLitigation. Updated .

Catchwords

Practice Areas

Judges (5)

Counsel (10)

Parties (2)

Case Significance

[2025] SGCA 43 is a Court of Appeal decision dated 5 September 2025 concerning Constitutional Law and Criminal Procedure and Sentencing, specifically addressing equal protection of the law and stay of execution. The judgment was delivered by Sundaresh Menon, with Belinda Ang Saw Ean and Judith Prakash on the coram. The case was brought by Pannir Selvam Pranthaman (applicant) against Attorney-General (respondent). Legal representation was provided by Eugene Thuraisingam LLP and Attorney-General's Chambers. The judgment cites 23 cases and references 6 statutory provisions, including the Applications in Capital Cases Act, the Criminal Procedure Code, and the Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act.

[2025] SGCA 43 explained

PANNIR SELVAM PRANTHAMAN v ATTORNEY-GENERAL OF SINGAPORE ([2025] SGCA 43) is a Singapore judgment decided by the Court of Appeal on 5 September 2025. It is categorised under Constitutional Law and Criminal Procedure and Sentencing. It is a recent decision; within this corpus no later judgment has cited it yet. This page summarises what the reported decision covers and links the primary sources — the full judgment, the statutes it cites, and the other cases it engages with — so the decision can be read in context. It is reference information, not legal advice, and it does not state the outcome or any holding beyond what the official judgment records.

What is [2025] SGCA 43 about?

PANNIR SELVAM PRANTHAMAN v ATTORNEY-GENERAL OF SINGAPORE ([2025] SGCA 43) is a Court of Appeal decision from 2025. Its published catchwords are “Constitutional Law — Equal protection of the law” and “Criminal Procedure and Sentencing — Stay of execution”, which indicate the subject matter the judgment addresses. The full reasoning and orders are in the judgment itself, linked below.

Which legislation does [2025] SGCA 43 consider?

The judgment refers to Applications in Capital Cases Act, Criminal Procedure Code (Cap 68), Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act (Cap 65A), and Legal Profession Act (Cap 161), among other provisions. The statutes cited are listed in full on this page, each linking to its primary text.

What earlier Singapore cases does [2025] SGCA 43 cite?

Among the in-corpus authorities it refers to are [2025] SGCA 40 and [2024] SGCA 56. The complete list of cases cited, and of later cases that cite this decision, is shown on this page.

Summary

Pannir Selvam Pranthaman, a prisoner awaiting capital punishment for importing not less than 51.84g of diamorphine, sought a stay of execution pending the determination of his disciplinary complaint against his former counsel and the resolution of a separate constitutional challenge to the MDA presumptions. A five-judge panel addressed whether the Ministry of Home Affairs' policy of not scheduling execution dates during pending State-brought proceedings, but not non-State-brought proceedings, violated Art 12(1) of the Constitution. The Court of Appeal dismissed the application, finding the policy distinction was rational and there was no basis for a stay.

What was decided in [2025] SGCA 43?

[2025] SGCA 43 (PANNIR SELVAM PRANTHAMAN v ATTORNEY-GENERAL OF SINGAPORE) is a Court of Appeal decision from 5 September 2025 addressing Constitutional Law and Criminal Procedure and Sentencing, specifically equal protection of the law and stay of execution. The judgment was delivered by Sundaresh Menon.

Who were the parties in PANNIR SELVAM PRANTHAMAN v ATTORNEY-GENERAL OF SINGAPORE ([2025] SGCA 43)?

The applicant in [2025] SGCA 43 was Pannir Selvam Pranthaman, and the respondent was Attorney-General. Legal representation included Eugene Thuraisingam LLP and Attorney-General's Chambers. The case was decided on 5 September 2025 in the Court of Appeal.

Which judge decided [2025] SGCA 43?

[2025] SGCA 43 was delivered by Sundaresh Menon in the Court of Appeal on 5 September 2025. Belinda Ang Saw Ean, Judith Prakash and See Kee Oon also sat on the coram. The case concerned Constitutional Law and Criminal Procedure and Sentencing.

What cases and statutes does [2025] SGCA 43 cite?

[2025] SGCA 43 cites 23 prior decisions. It references Applications in Capital Cases Act, Criminal Procedure Code, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act.

Statutes Cited

Cases Cited (23)

SG (5)
[2017] SGHC 144 [2020] SGCA 122 [2022] SGCA 46 [2024] SGCA 56 [2025] SGCA 40
SLR (18)
[2011] 2 SLR 1189 [2012] 2 SLR 49 [2014] 1 SLR 1047 [2015] 5 SLR 1222 [2016] 3 SLR 135 [2016] 3 SLR 598 [2020] 2 SLR 883 [2021] 1 SLR 809 [2021] 5 SLR 452 [2022] 1 SLR 1347 [2022] 2 SLR 421 [2022] 3 SLR 838 [2024] 1 SLR 1127 [2024] 1 SLR 1271 [2024] 1 SLR 825 [2024] 2 SLR 433 [2024] 2 SLR 588 [2025] 1 SLR 237

Related cases

Other Singapore judgments involving the same parties or counsel.

Referenced in

Judgment

Read the full judgment on the official Singapore Courts portal.

Read on eLitigation

Source: eLitigation ([2025] SGCA 43)