Indian-origin man jailed in Singapore for not joining national service

An Indian-origin man in Singapore was sentenced to six weeks in prison for not performing his national service obligations.

Jay Kamal Shah, 22, was handed out the punishment on Monday for not performing the National Service, a statutory requirement for all male Singaporeans to serve in the defence service for two-years, The Straits Times reported on Tuesday. He completed his studies in India and returned to Singapore in April last year and enlisted for national service about a month later.

Shah could have been fined up to 10,000 Singapore dollar (USD 7,206) and/or jailed for up to three years, was jailed for six weeks. His lawyer Rajan Supramaniam said in litigation that Shah chose to wait until he had completed his examinations before returning to Singapore to surrender himself so that he would not be considered a “drop-out”.

Requesting the court to impose a fine, counsel said Shah had done well in national service, and may be considering a career in the army.

He also said Shah did not have the benefits and privileges of possessing a Singapore citizenship, having spent his entire life in India.