Karpal Singh

Yang Berbahagia Dato' Seri Utama Karpal Singh DUPN
ਕਰਪਾਲ ਸਿੰਘ
Karpal in Kuching in 2011.
3rd National Chairman of the Democratic Action Party
In office 4 September 2004 – 29 March 2014
Secretary-General	Lim Guan Eng
Preceded by	Lim Kit Siang
Succeeded by	Tan Kok Wai
Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Bukit Gelugor
In office 21 March 2004 – 17 April 2014
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Ramkarpal Singh
Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Jelutong
In office 31 July 1978 – 29 November 1999
Preceded by	Rasiah Rajasingam
Succeeded by	Lee Kah Choon
Personal details
Born	Karpal Singh s/o Ram Singh Deo 28 June 1940 George Town, Penang, Straits Settlements (now Malaysia)
Died	17 April 2014(2014-04-17) (aged 73) Gua Tempurung, Perak, Malaysia
Political party	Democratic Action Party (1970–2014)
Spouse	Gurmit Kaur (1970–2014, his death)
Children	Jagdeep Singh Deo Gobind Singh Deo Ramkarpal Singh Sangeet Kaur Deo Mankarpal Singh
Parent(s)	Ram Singh Deo (father) Kartar Kaur (mother)
Residence(s)	Damansara Heights, Kuala Lumpur
Alma mater	National University of Singapore
Occupation	Politician
Profession	Lawyer
Other name	Tiger of Jelutong
Ethnicity	Punjabi
Education	St. Xavier's Institution, George Town, Penang

Dato' Seri Utama Karpal Singh s/o Ram Singh Deo (Punjabi: ਕਰਪਾਲ ਸਿੰਘ, romanized: Karpāl Siṅgh; 28 June 1940 – 17 April 2014) was an Indian Malaysian politician and lawyer. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of Bukit Gelugor in the state of Penang from 2004 to 2014. During that time, he was also the National Chairman of the Democratic Action Party (DAP).^[1]

Born in Penang to Sikh Punjabi Indian immigrant parents, Karpal studied law at the National University of Singapore. He was one of Malaysia's most prominent lawyers and took a number of high-profile cases, including drug-trafficking charges against foreign nationals. Karpal was an opponent of the death penalty, especially for drug trafficking.

In the courtroom and Parliament, he was a controversial figure. Karpal was suspended from Parliament several times, charged with sedition and detained under Malaysia's internal-security law. His reputation as a lawyer and opposition politician gave him the nickname "the Tiger of Jelutong".

Karpal's political career began in 1970 (when he joined the DAP), and he won a seat in the Kedah State Legislative Assembly in 1974. He was elected to parliament in 1978 as representative for Jelutong, Penang, and held the seat for more than 20 years until he lost it in 1999. Karpal returned to Parliament in the next general election, and led the DAP to its strongest-ever performance in the 2008 general election. A 2005 motor-vehicle accident put Karpal in a wheelchair, with neuro-motor problems in his right arm, but he continued his legal and political careers. He died on 17 April 2014 after another motor-vehicle accident.