Lawyer M Ravi has made a name for himself as a human rights lawyer in Singapore, often making headlines for representing death row inmates.
However, on the 1st day of the SBS Transit lawsuit trial, where Mr Ravi was representing 13 bus drivers, the pressure of the courtroom appeared to have gotten to him.
During the proceedings on Monday (22 Nov), he accused Justice Lim of being biased and called SBS Transit’s lawyer a “clown”.
Stating that his behaviour was embarrassing and not to be condoned, the bus drivers have now discharged Mr Ravi from the lawsuit.
During the hearing of the SBS Transit lawsuit via video conference on Monday (22 Nov), Mr Ravi called Mr Davinder Singh, SBS Transit’s senior counsel, a “clown” while discussing administrative matters.
Besides that, Mr Ravi accused Justice Lim of being biased. He then demanded she recuse herself from hearing the case, reported The Straits Times (ST).
Mr Ravi also claimed his client had lost faith in the Singapore judicial system and did not wish to proceed with the case.
On Tuesday (23 Nov), the lead plaintiff, Mr Chua Qwong Meng said the bus drivers collectively felt “very embarrassed” by Mr Ravi’s behaviour.
In a statement by the 13 bus drivers, they said they did not condone Mr Ravi’s behaviour at all.
The drivers, who had trusted Mr Ravi, said it came as a shock to them.
He has let us down very badly and hurt our case immeasurably.
According to TODAY Online, the group of bus drivers have now discharged Mr Ravi from their lawsuit with SBS Transit.
Mr Chua elaborated that there is “no truth whatsoever” to Mr Ravi’s allegation that the bus drivers no longer had faith in the judicial system and did not wish to proceed with the case.
He stated firmly that they have every intention to proceed with the litigation.
Through a letter to the Supreme Court Registrar, Mr Chua also said they are not seeking recusal of Justice Lim.
He added that he reserves the right to lodge a complaint to the Law Society regarding the matter.
Mr Chua added that they will now look for a competent lawyer to represent them, and requested the proceedings to be adjourned till then.
So far, the bus drivers have paid Mr Ravi over $55,000 to represent them. The money was raised through crowdfunding and they seek to get a refund of the balance fees.
In 2019 and 2020, the SBS Transit lawsuit was filed over alleged unfair work practices about overtime pay and working hours.
The 13 bus drivers involved claimed they were made to work without a rest day each week and were unpaid for overtime work, reported Channel NewsAsia (CNA).
They claimed this was a breach of the Employment Act.
Clients put their trust in lawyers to act on their behalf in a professional manner.
This responsibility on lawyers is all the more important in such high-profile cases involving a large class of workers in Singapore heard in the High Court.
Hopefully, the bus drivers will soon secure another lawyer who truly represents what they are hoping to achieve with this fight.
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Featured image adapted from Ravi M Ravi on Facebook.
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