Eusoffe Abdoolcader | |
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Judge of the Supreme Court of Malaysia | |
In office 1974–1988 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Eusoffe Abdoolcader (1924-09-11)11 September 1924 |
Died | 11 January 1996(1996-01-11) (aged 71) Taman Jesselton, George town, Penang |
Spouse | Haseenah |
Parent |
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Alma mater | Penang Free School, University College London |
Profession | Barrister, Judge |
Eusoffe Abdoolcader (11 September 1924– 11 January 1996) was a Malaysian judge of the Federal Court from 1974 to 1988. Eusoffe was a respected lawyer and Supreme Court judge, remembered by his peers and juniors as perhaps the greatest judge Malaysia had seen. [1]
At the age of 15, he passed his Senior Cambridge examinations with distinctions but he was too young to gain access to Raffles College in Singapore, which stipulated a minimum age of 17. He repeated his examinations and finally with his father's influence gained a seat in Raffles. He alleged that he was ' ragged' by Lee Kuan Yew. [2]
Eusoffe read law at University College London, graduating with an LL.B. First Class Honours. [3]
As an advocate at the Bar, Abdoolcader was unsurpassed in his knowledge of the law and unmatchable in his advocacy, earning him a reputation as a formidable opponent. [3] Lawyers and laymen alike were awed by his brilliance and his intellectual prowess, which he defused only by his dry sense of humour.
His father, Sir Husein Hasanally Abdoolcader, was a prominent lawyer, community leader and politician. Husein was a member of the Straits Settlements' Legislative Council and a member of the Advisory Council to the Governor of the Malayan Union. Husein also made a name for himself in the Straits Settlement as the first Malayan Indian to be knighted by King George VI in 1948. [4] Eusoffe was married to Haseenah.
On 11 January 1996, following the death of his wife, Eusoffe committed suicide in his Taman Jesselton home. [4]