ARIFFIN ISKANDAR SHA BIN ALI AKBAR

[2025] SGHC 156 High Court (General Division) 8 August 2025 HC/AAS 108/2023 · HC/AAS 371/2024 · HC/AAS 565/2024 53 min read
12 cases cited

Key facts

Court High Court (General Division)
Decided
Judge Sundaresh Menon
Charges / claim Legal Profession
Counsel Allen & Gledhill LLP, Attorney-General's Chambers, Audent Chambers LLC, Breakpoint LLC, Calvin Liang Chambers LLC, Eugene Thuraisingam LLP, Quahe Woo & Palmer LLC, Singapore Institute of Legal Education, Calvin Liang, Chng Luey Chi, Darius Chan, Eugene Singarajah Thuraisingam, Jasmine Goh, Jeyendran Jeyapal, Jordan Tan, Kenneth Lim Tao Chung, Mario Khoe, Megan Ong, Michael Palmer, Ng Yuan Siang, Rachel Tan, Rachel Tan Xi En, Rochelle Lim, Sanjna Rai, Sarah Shi, Valen Lim

Source: [2025] SGHC 156, High Court (General Division), decided — eLitigation. Updated .

Catchwords

Practice Areas

Judges (1)

Counsel (26)

Parties (6)

Case Significance

[2025] SGHC 156 is a High Court (General Division) decision dated 8 August 2025 concerning Legal Profession, specifically addressing admission. The judgment was delivered by Sundaresh Menon. The case was brought by Ariffin Iskandar Sha bin Ali Akbar and others (applicant) against Attorney-General and others (respondent). Legal representation was provided by Audent Chambers LLC and Allen & Gledhill LLP. The judgment cites 12 cases and references 3 statutory provisions, including the Legal Profession Act, the Penal Code, and the Public Order Act.

[2025] SGHC 156 explained

ARIFFIN ISKANDAR SHA BIN ALI AKBAR ([2025] SGHC 156) is a Singapore judgment decided by the High Court (General Division) on 8 August 2025. It is categorised under Legal Profession. 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] SGHC 156 about?

ARIFFIN ISKANDAR SHA BIN ALI AKBAR ([2025] SGHC 156) is a High Court (General Division) decision from 2025. Its published catchwords are “Legal Profession — Admission”, which indicate the subject matter the judgment addresses. The full reasoning and orders are in the judgment itself, linked below.

Which legislation does [2025] SGHC 156 consider?

The judgment refers to Legal Profession Act (Cap 161), Penal Code (Cap 224), and Public Order Act (Cap 257A). The statutes cited are listed in full on this page, each linking to its primary text.

What earlier Singapore cases does [2025] SGHC 156 cite?

Among the in-corpus authorities it refers to are [2025] SGHC 72. The complete list of cases cited, and of later cases that cite this decision, is shown on this page.

Summary

The Chief Justice addressed three applications for admission to the Singapore Bar involving applicants with character issues, establishing a framework for handling 'Legacy Cases' where applicants completed formal requirements before the court's evolving approach to character fitness. The court stayed the applications for periods ranging from 18 months to 3 years, and clarified that a stay rather than withdrawal may be appropriate to preserve the applicant's eligibility while allowing time for rehabilitation.

What was decided in [2025] SGHC 156?

[2025] SGHC 156 (ARIFFIN ISKANDAR SHA BIN ALI AKBAR) is a High Court (General Division) decision from 8 August 2025 addressing Legal Profession, specifically admission. The judgment was delivered by Sundaresh Menon.

Who were the parties in ARIFFIN ISKANDAR SHA BIN ALI AKBAR ([2025] SGHC 156)?

The applicant in [2025] SGHC 156 was Ariffin Iskandar Sha bin Ali Akbar, Foo Zhong Yu Aaron, and the respondent was Attorney-General, Law Society of Singapore. Legal representation included Allen & Gledhill LLP and Attorney-General's Chambers. The case was decided on 8 August 2025 in the High Court (General Division).

Which judge decided [2025] SGHC 156?

[2025] SGHC 156 was delivered by Sundaresh Menon in the High Court (General Division) on 8 August 2025. The case concerned Legal Profession.

What cases and statutes does [2025] SGHC 156 cite?

[2025] SGHC 156 cites 12 prior decisions. It references Legal Profession Act, Penal Code, Public Order Act.

Statutes Cited

Cases Cited (12)

SLR (11)
[2021] 1 SLR 180 [2022] 5 SLR 896 [2023] 4 SLR 1258 [2023] 4 SLR 1760 [2023] 4 SLR 541 [2023] 5 SLR 1272 [2024] 3 SLR 1443 [2024] 4 SLR 1324 [2024] 4 SLR 392 [2024] 4 SLR 401 [2024] 6 SLR 173

Related cases

Other Singapore judgments involving the same parties or counsel.

Referenced in

Statutes interpreted in this judgment

Legal concepts & references

Judgment

Read the full judgment on the official Singapore Courts portal.

Read on eLitigation

Source: eLitigation ([2025] SGHC 156)