2nd EGM motion seeks censure and resignation of Law Society Council members who backed unelected President

A new motion calling for the censure and resignation of the Law Society of Singapore's (LawSoc) Council members who voted to elect an unelected, ministerial appointee as President has been formally tabled for debate at the Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) on 22 December 2025.

The motion, submitted by lawyer Sunil Sudheesan, was circulated to all practitioner members via a Law Society eBlast at around 3:00pm on 11 December 2025.

It significantly escalates the scope of the upcoming EGM by seeking formal accountability from both current and incoming Council members over their handling of the presidency and the earlier requisition for a general meeting.

At the core of the motion is a proposal that the EGM express no confidence in members of Council‑elect 2026 who voted in favour of electing a non‑elected Council member — a ministerial appointee — as President‑elect of the Society. It further proposes that members of the current Council who voted against convening the EGM in response to the requisition be formally censured, and invited to resign if so censured.

The motion also calls for:

• Voting at the EGM to be conducted by secret ballot;
• A requirement for Council‑elect 2026 to report to members by 23 January 2026 on whether EGM resolutions have been complied with; and
• The reimbursement of all costs incurred in convening and holding the EGM.

Why the EGM was called

The EGM itself was triggered after a group of 42 lawyers submitted a valid requisition on 24 November 2025, as allowed under Section 68 of the Legal Profession Act 1966. The requisition raised concerns over the appointment of Dinesh Singh Dhillon as President for the 2026 term.

Dhillon entered the Council as a statutory member appointed by the Minister for Law under Section 48(1)(b) of the Act, and was not elected by the Law Society’s general membership. 

He was subsequently elected President through an internal vote by the 21-member Council, reportedly winning by a single vote over incumbent Vice President Samuel Chacko, according to media reports.

The first motion, formally issued on 9 December 2025 by former Law Society President Peter Cuthbert Low and seconded by Chandra Mohan Nair, seeks to place on record the principle that the President of the Law Society should be elected from among Council members who themselves were elected by members, in order to uphold good governance and confidence in the independence of the Bar.

The Council did not convene an EGM within the 14‑day statutory period following the 24 November requisition. As a result, the requisitionists exercised their legal right to proceed independently and issued formal notice of the EGM on 9 December.

LawSoc circulated its official EGM notice to members on 10 December, after the requisitionists had already acted.

EGM to proceed with expanded agenda

With the addition of the second motion, the 22 December EGM will now address not only the principle of elected leadership, but also accountability for Council decisions, including whether Council members should face censure for supporting the election of an unelected President and for declining to convene the EGM when first requested.

The EGM will take place at 5:00pm on 22 December 2025 at the Wyndham Singapore Hotel Ballroom. All practising certificate holders, who are automatically members of the Law Society, are entitled to attend and vote.