Lest you didn’t know, something happened on Monday.
A hearing whereby 13 bus drivers sued SBS Transit over overtime pay and working hours occurred. They claimed that they were made to work without a rest day each week and that they were also underpaid for overtime work.
Except that the hearing didn’t exactly happen because the drivers’ lawyer discharged himself.
The drivers were represented by Mr M Ravi, and the lawyer’s actions led to a temporary end to a hearing that was supposed to last four days.
The bus drivers said they’ve fired Mr Ravi and would be engaging another lawyer to represent them. In the meantime, they claimed to have paid $55,000 to Mr Ravi for his legal services (there are a lot of work to be done before a hearing), which was raised through public donations, and are now seeking a refund of the balance fees they had paid Mr Ravi.
Given that the case has now been adjourned to next Monday, the bus drivers have to look for a new lawyer quickly.
And they’ve found one: Lim Tean.
Yes, the lawyer whom Mr Ravi used to work with.
Lim Tean Taking Over M Ravi to Represent 13 Bus Drivers in Lawsuit Against SBS
This afternoon (24 November), Lim Tean took to Facebook to announce that he’s “agreed to act for the 13 bus Drivers and ex bus Drivers in their legal battle with SBS Transit.”
He added that the “importance of this case is obvious from the fact that earlier this year, Justice Audrey Lim( who is the trial judge), ordered the case to be transferred from the lower Court to the High Court, as it involves important questions of law that would affect a larger class of workers in Singapore.
“On my part, I pledge to do my utmost for my clients so that their interests are protected. Their success in this litigation will also translate into benefit for many thousands of workers in Singapore.”
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What Happened
On 22 November, a four-day hearing into the lawsuit began, but people weren’t focusing on the facts of the case, but Mr Ravi’s conduct.
Other than calling SBS’ lawyer, Senior Counsel Davinder Singh, a clown, he even claimed that the judge is bias, and said that he and his client (the SBS drivers) would be discharging themselves from the case.
“My client said he doesn’t have faith in the system,” Mr Ravi said, adding that there was a breach of the right to a fair trial.
“I’m not participating in these proceedings. You can pass whatever judgment you want. I’m retiring soon,” he said earlier.
In addition, Mr Ravi also said he would be asking “Dr Mahathir” for help. He noted that 80% of the drivers are Malaysian and said he would be filing a case to the International Court of Justice.
The lead plaintiff in the case (i.e. the leader of the group suing SBS) said that they were “very embarrassed” at how Mr Ravi had treated the judge and SBS’s lawyer.
The plaintiff, Mr Chua Qwong Meng, said in a statement, “We do not condone Mr Ravi’s behaviour at all and what he displayed yesterday was a total shock to us, who had put our trust in him. He has let us down very badly and hurt our case immeasurably.”
He said that there was “absolutely no excuse or justification” for Mr Ravi to call the SBS lawyer a “clown”.
With regards to Mr Ravi’s claim that his client “doesn’t have faith in the system,” Mr Chua said that was untrue.
He said in the statement, “There is no truth whatsoever to Mr Ravi’s allegation, which he made yesterday, that we have no faith in the Singapore judicial system and that we do not intend to proceed with the case.”
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Featured Image: Facebook (Lim Tean)