Judith Evelyn Jyothi Prakash (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

de Cruz; born 19 December 1951) is a

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

an judge in the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

. Her brother is ambassador Simon Tensing de Cruz and she is married to Jaya Prakash, a noted independent arbitrator and

mediator Mediation is a structured, voluntary process for resolving disputes, facilitated by a neutral third party known as the mediator. It is a structured, interactive process where an independent third party, the mediator, assists disputing parties ...

. Prakash was appointed a permanent Judge of Appeal of the

Court of Appeal of Singapore The Court of Appeal of Singapore is the highest court in the judicial system of Singapore. It is the upper division of the Supreme Court of Singapore, the lower being the High Court (which since 2021 has itself been sub-divided into a Gener ...

on 1 August 2016, the first woman to hold this post.. During her time on the bench, she was also Judge of the Dubai International Financial Centre Courts, where she heard appeal matters. After graduating from

National University of Singapore The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national university, national Public university, public research university in Singapore. It was officially established in 1980 by the merging of the University of Singapore and Nanyang University ...

in 1974, where she obtained a

first-class honours The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading structure used for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and integrated master's degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied, sometimes with significant var ...

degree, Prakash did her pupillage under David Marshall though she initially found the practice of criminal law not something that suited her. Before her appointment to the bench, she was a partner specialising in shipping and commercial law in

Drew & Napier Drew & Napier LLC is a Singaporean law firm. Founded in 1889, the firm has more than 500 employees. It is regarded as one of the Lawyers in Singapore#Law firms in Singapore, Big Four law firms in Singapore. In Singapore, Drew & Napier is part ...

. She also practised in the areas of banking and finance. Prakash was inducted in 2016 to the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame and previously chaired the Raffles' Girls School Board of Governors. She was, until 2022, the Lead Judge in the

for arbitration matters. On 14 October 2024, Prakash was conferred the Her World Woman of the Year 2024 for her pioneering work in the legal field and for paving the way for female legal professionals aspiring to be part of the judiciary. In its media release, the Editor in Chief of

Her World ''Her World'' is a monthly English-language magazine published in Singapore targeted at the female professionals reading market. It is also the first English-language women's magazine to be published in Singapore. History The magazine was publi ...

said that given her professional journey, "Justice Judith Prakash is an inspiration, not just for those in the legal field, but also to all Singapore women." Prakash had also previously chaired the Law Reform Committee and Publications Committee of the

Singapore Academy of Law The Singapore Academy of Law (SAL) is a promotion and development agency for Singapore's legal industry. SAL also undertakes statutory functions such as stakeholding services and the appointment of Senior Counsel, Commissioners for Oaths and No ...

, and also sits on the Medical Litigation Review Committee which examines issues relating to medical litigation. Prakash was a member of the sub-committee on the Review of Arbitration Laws, appointed by the

Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

in 1991, that made recommendations on Singapore's laws relating to international commercial arbitration and which led to the enactment of the International Arbitration Act in 1994. On 15 June 2023, it was announced that Prakash will be appointed a Senior Judge as of 2 Jan 2024. In the course of her career till she was appointed as a Senior Judge, she has written approximately 645 judgments. Her judgements have been said to have had significant influence, especially in the areas of commercial law and arbitration. She has also been described as "an extraordinary jurist, a history maker, a class act and a truly wonderful human being" and a "tireless advocate for quality legal writing and publishing". As a Senior Judge, she will be hearing complex cases in the Court of Appeal. Prakash sits on the NUS Board of Trustees, the Board of Trustees of SINDA and on the Board of the Eurasian Association.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prakash, Judith Living people Singaporean judges of appeal Singaporean women lawyers Singaporean women judges University of Singapore alumni 1951 births