A 22-year-old Indian student, Legha Pawan, was sentenced to 35 months’ imprisonment by a Singapore court after pleading guilty to voluntarily causing grievous hurt that led to the death of Jasbir Singh, a 33-year-old fellow Indian national. The incident occurred shortly after midnight on 30 June 2024 at Clarke Quay, a popular nightlife and riverside area in central Singapore.
According to court documents, both men were intoxicated when the incident took place. Singh, a construction worker, had been working in Singapore and was the sole breadwinner for his wife and two children back home in India.
That night, Singh was reportedly singing and dancing alone by the river when he encountered Legha, whom he did not know. The two exchanged words, during which Legha made a mocking comment about Singh’s drunken state. They parted ways briefly, but moments later, Legha returned and pushed Singh in the chest, causing him to fall backwards into the Singapore River. The act was witnessed by a couple nearby, who quickly raised the alarm.
Emergency services, including rescue divers, were dispatched. Singh’s body was recovered from the water around 6am, several hours later. An autopsy revealed that Singh died from drowning, and also sustained a laceration to the back of his head and a bruise on his neck. His blood alcohol level was found to be 253mg per 100ml, more than three times the legal drink-driving limit in Singapore.
Legha did not stay to help. Instead, he fled the scene, removed his shirt to alter his appearance, and attempted to evade detection. He was arrested the following morning.
During sentencing, Deputy Public Prosecutor Jheong Siew Yin stated that Legha’s act was unprovoked, and that he was fully aware of Singh’s intoxicated condition. She emphasised that the act of pushing a heavily drunk person near a body of water made it “reasonably foreseeable” that serious injury, or worse, could result. She also highlighted aggravating factors, including Legha’s own drunkenness and his decision to flee without rendering any aid.
In mitigation, Legha’s defence lawyer argued that the incident involved no weapon, and that the act was a “generic push”, not targeted at vulnerable points on Singh’s body. The defence also noted that Legha had no prior criminal record, and that both men were under the influence of alcohol, which affected their judgement.
Despite the mitigating arguments, the court found the push to be reckless and avoidable, particularly considering the location, a fast-moving and potentially dangerous section of the river, and the victim’s impaired condition.
Under Singapore law, the charge of voluntarily causing grievous hurt carries a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to SGD 10,000, or both. In this case, Legha was sentenced to 35 months in jail, with no caning ordered.
