18 Facts About Mathavakannan Kalimuthu

Mathavakannan Kalimuthu is a Singaporean who, together with his two friends, assaulted and murdered a gangster named Saravanan Michael Ramalingam on 26 May 1996.

Mathavakannan Kalimuthu served a total of 16 years in prison before he was released on 28 January 2012.

Mathavakannan Kalimuthu's case had attracted media attention on 28 November 2011 when he filed an appeal regarding the issue of his life sentence, whether it should be 20 years' imprisonment or imprisonment for the rest of his natural life in accordance with a landmark appeal by Abdul Nasir bin Amer Hamsah on 20 August 1997, which changed the definition of life imprisonment under the law.

Mathavakannan Kalimuthu was born in Singapore on 10 May 1978.

Mathavakannan Kalimuthu was the only son of his family and had one younger sister, who is two years younger.

Mathavakannan Kalimuthu studied in the Institute of Technical Education in 1993 before he dropped out of school to support his parents, who both suffered from poor health, and sister, who was a student.

The trio promptly gave chase, with Mathavakannan Kalimuthu being the first to catch up with Saravanan at the void deck of Block 93, Whampoa Drive.

Mathavakannan Kalimuthu then took the knife and stabbed Saravanan several times.

Not only that, Mathavakannan Kalimuthu's mother submitted a personal letter to President Ong Teng Cheong pleading for mercy from the President.

WHEREAS Mathavakannan Kalimuthu K, having been tried at the High Court, Singapore, was on the 27 November 1996, in due form of law convicted of and sentenced to death for the commission of an offence of murder:.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, ONG TENG CHEONG, President of the Republic of Singapore, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 238 of the Criminal Procedure Code, do hereby commute the said sentence of death and order that the said Mathavakannan Kalimuthu K be imprisoned for life.

At the time of his pardon from the gallows, Mathavakannan Kalimuthu was the sixth person since 1965 to be granted clemency from the President of Singapore.

On 13 September 2006 and 18 December 2006, there were two letters were written to SPS by Mathavakannan Kalimuthu's lawyers requesting for the clarification of the Mathavakannan Kalimuthu's release date.

Additionally, as Mathavakannan Kalimuthu had served his sentence with good behaviour since 28 April 1998, he was qualified for one-third remission of his sentence and was set to be released soon.

Eight days after his successful appeal against his life sentence, and after spending nearly 16 years of his life behind bars, 33-year-old Mathavakannan Kalimuthu was released from jail on 28 January 2012.

Significantly, in Singapore's legal history, Mathavakannan Kalimuthu was the sixth and till today, remains as the last case of a death row inmate successfully receiving clemency from the President of Singapore, not including the successful clemency pleas of detainees of TPP.

Mathavakannan Kalimuthu said it was hard when it involves the death sentence and it had to be decided to ensure that justice is served and he cannot go by human emotions to make these decisions and was in no position to contradict the submission when he have not heard the case.

In 1998, Singaporean crime show Crimewatch re-enacted the murder of Saravanan Michael Ramalingam, and it aired as the sixth episode of the show's annual season in August 1998, four months after Mathavakannan Kalimuthu was pardoned from death row, and three months after the joint executions of Asogan and Selvar.