Bala Reddy | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1955 (age 69–70) |
| Education | National University of SingaporeTrinity Hall,University of Cambridge |
| Occupation(s) | Senior Principal District Judge,State Courts of Singapore |
| Known for | Criminal Law;Admiralty law; Community Justice |
| Term | 2014 – present |
| Honours | Pingat Pentadbiran Awam - Perak (Public Administration Medal) |
Bala Reddy (Tamil: பாலா ரெட்டி) is a Singaporean senior lawyer. He is presently the senior principal district judge and director of the Community Justice and Tribunals division in theState Courts of Singapore. Reddy is an authority in international criminal justice systems and served as a legal expert for theUnited Nations Development Programme as well as theUnited Nations Convention against Corruption.[1][2][3][4] Prior to his judicial appointment to the State Courts in 2014, Reddy was the Chief Prosecutor in theAttorney-General's Chambers of Singapore during JusticeSteven Chong's tenure as Attorney-General.[5]
Bala Reddy was born inSingapore on 18 September 1955 to parents who had migrated fromMadurai, India. He graduated from theNational University of Singapore (University of Singapore) Faculty of Law where he was conferred theBachelor of Laws andMaster of Laws degrees. He subsequently also qualified as a barrister in Singapore, Brunei, England and Wales. In 1991, he was awarded aSingapore Legal Service Commission scholarship to pursue anMPhil inCriminology atTrinity Hall,University of Cambridge where he was supervised by the distinguished criminologist,Nigel Walker. In 1999, Reddy was awarded a Legal Service sponsorship to join the Program for Management Development atHarvard Business School.[2]
Reddy began his career in private legal practice specializing as anarbitrator inAdmiralty,Banking andInsurance law. In 1985, he joined theSingapore Legal Service, an autonomous wing of thePublic Service Commission. He was appointed aDeputy Public Prosecutor andState Counsel in the Attorney General's Chambers (AGC) and represented Singapore at several international negotiations including theUnited Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime and theUnited Nations Development Programme to strengthen the legal capacity of Vietnam.[1][2] After 20 years of service in theAGC, Reddy was appointed as a judge in theState Courts of Singapore in 2005. In 2015, Reddy joined the faculty of theSMU School of Law where he leads the seminar course "Evidence, Litigation & Criminal Process".[6]
Reddy is a proponent of favoring comprehensive community-level justice solutions (as opposed to traditional punitive custodial sentences) to rehabilitate and reintegrate minor offenders from vulnerable groups back into the community.[7][8] As a judicial officer in the State Courts, he spearheaded the introduction of thecommunity court model and in 2006, Reddy presided over the inaugural Community Court in Singapore.[9] The firstproblem-solving court in Asia; the community court "adopts a non-traditional, multi-disciplinary team approach and explores sentencing alternatives" such as counseling, rehabilitation and community service to discourage recidivism.[4]
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