Nagaenthran Okay Dharmalingam was to be hanged at Changi Jail for drug trafficking on Wednesday.
Singapore:
A Singapore courtroom on Tuesday stayed the execution of a 33-year-old Indian-origin Malaysian man, convicted for drug trafficking, after he examined optimistic for COVID-19.
Nagaenthran Okay Dharmalingam was to be hanged at Changi Jail for drug trafficking on Wednesday. Singapore’s Excessive Court docket on Monday suspended his scheduled execution till an enchantment is heard throughout a web-based listening to.
Dharmalingam, who has been on dying row for 11 years, was ushered in briefly into the dock on the Court docket of Attraction for the listening to of a last-ditch enchantment in opposition to his dying sentence, Channel News Asia reported.
Nonetheless, he was later taken away, and a decide knowledgeable the courtroom that Nagaenthran had examined optimistic for COVID-19.
Justice Andrew Phang, who appeared with fellow judges Judith Prakash and Kannan Ramesh, mentioned, “that is relatively surprising”.
He mentioned the courtroom was of the view that it was not acceptable to proceed, “given the circumstances”.
“The execution is scheduled for tomorrow,” mentioned Justice Phang.
“… If the applicant has been troubled by COVID-19 … it is our view that the execution can’t happen anyway,” the decide mentioned.
The prosecution mentioned they solely simply heard of the event and wanted to take directions.
“I feel right here, we have now to make use of logic, frequent sense and humanity,” mentioned Justice Phang.
He adjourned the listening to to a date but to be mounted and issued a keep of the execution till proceedings are concluded.
Lawyer M Ravi had taken up Nagaenthran’s case on the eleventh hour, forward of his scheduled hanging on Wednesday.
His courtroom utility on Monday for a judicial assessment of the case on grounds of Nagaenthran’s purported psychological incapacity was dismissed, however the decide granted a brief keep of his execution till after Mr Ravi appealed in opposition to the dismissal.
The case was fast-tracked and the enchantment set to be heard within the highest courtroom on Tuesday afternoon, with a packed courtroom together with overseas media and native activists.
Ravi was seen hugging a fellow counsel after the keep of execution was introduced, in keeping with a Channel News Asia report.
No different particulars of when Nagaenthran examined optimistic for COVID-19 got, in keeping with the Channel.
Nagaenthran was sentenced to dying in 2010 for importing 42.72g of heroin into Singapore in 2009 in a bundle strapped to his thigh. He failed in his appeals to the Excessive Court docket in 2011, to the Supreme Court docket in 2019 and in his petition to the president for clemency.
The case drew worldwide consideration as Nagaenthran’s impending execution neared, with a web-based petition in opposition to his dying sentence drawing about 70,000 signatures as of Tuesday, and protection by worldwide media.
Malaysia’s prime minister wrote to his Singapore counterpart on the matter, and human rights teams in addition to Virgin Group founder Richard Branson additionally weighed in on the difficulty.
(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is printed from a syndicated feed.)