   karpal singh s/o ram singh (28 june 1940 â 17 april 2014) () was a malaysian lawyer and politician, who was the member of parliament (mp) for the constituency of bukit gelugor in the state of penang since 2004. he was the former national chairman of the democratic action party (dap), a position that he assumed in 2004. born in penang to an indian punjabi immigrant father, karpal read law at the national university of singapore. he was one of malaysia's most prominent lawyers, and took up numerous high-profile cases, including drug trafficking charges against foreign nationals, and sodomy accusations against former deputy prime minister anwar ibrahim. karpal was a staunch opponent of the death penalty, especially in relation to drug trafficking offences. in both courtrooms and parliament, he was known as a controversial figure. he was suspended from parliament numerous times, charged for sedition, and had been detained under malaysia's internal security laws. his reputation as a lawyer and opposition politician earned him the nickname "the tiger of jelutong". karpal's political career began in 1970 when he joined the dap. he won a seat in the kedah state legislative assembly in [[malaysian general e
1940_births 2014_deaths Amnesty_International_prisoners_of_conscience Democratic_Action_Party_(Malaysia)_politicians Malaysian_Sikhs Malaysian_deceased_politicians Malaysian_lawyers Malaysian_politicians Malaysian_politicians_of_Indian_descent Malaysian_prisoners_and_detainees People_from_Penang Politicians_with_physical_disabilities Prisoners_and_detainees_of_Malaysia Punjabi_people Road_accident_deaths_in_Malaysia