Preceded by Steven Chong Nationality Singaporean Appointed by S. R. Nathan Name V. Rajah | Appointed by S. R. Nathan Role Attorney Appointed by S. R. Nathan | |
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Alma mater National University of Singapore Faculty of Law,
University of Cambridge Education National University of Singapore, University of Cambridge, National University of Singapore Faculty of Law | ||
Why Lucien Wong was appointed as AG despite above age of retirement
Vijaya Kumar Rajah (born 14 January 1957), better known as V. K. Rajah, is a former Attorney-General of Singapore. Previously Judge of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Singapore, Rajah succeeded Steven Chong as Attorney-General on 25 June 2014. He stepped down on 14 January 2017 and was succeeded by Lucien Wong.
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Early life
Rajah graduated from the National University of Singapore Faculty of Law in 1982 and obtained his Masters of Law (First Class) from Trinity Hall, Cambridge in 1986. His father, Thampore Thamby Rajah, better known as T. T. Rajah, was a leader of the former Singaporean left-wing political party Barisan Sosialis.
Career
Rajah was among the first batch of lawyers in Singapore to be appointed Senior Counsel in 1997, and was once the managing partner of law firm Rajah & Tann. He was also part of the NUS law school moot team which won the Philip C. Jessup International Law moot competition in 1982, a first for NUS. The other members of the team were Davinder Singh, Jimmy Yim, and Steven Chong. He was first appointed Judicial Commissioner on 2 January 2004, Judge of the High Court on 1 November 2004, and subsequently Judge of Appeal in April 2007.
Rajah's publications include Judicial Management in Singapore (with T. C. Choong, Singapore: Butterworths, 1990). He was also the chair of a committee that produced an influential report in 2007 reviewing Singapore's legal sector.
Rajah has been a Director at Monetary Authority of Singapore since 1 November 2014.
He was the Attorney-General of Singapore. He was succeeded by Lucien Wong on 14 January 2017. During his term, he "emphasised fair prosecution and outcomes", even appealing as a prosecutor for a reduced sentence in 2015, which was unprecedented in Singapore. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong thanked him for carrying out his duties "with dynamism and commitment".