High Court overturns acquittal of three women over group letter delivery to Istana
Singapore's High Court has overturned the acquittal of three women convicted under the Public Order Act over a group letter delivery to the Istana on 2 February 2024, fining each S$3,000 after finding the district judge had misapplied the legal test for knowledge of a prohibition order.
Singapore's High Court on 30 April 2026 allowed the prosecution's appeal and reversed the acquittal of three women charged in connection with a group letter delivery to the Istana on 2 February 2024.
Mossammad Sobikun Nahar, 26, Siti Amirah Mohamed Asrori, 31, and Annamalai Kokila Parvathi, 37, were each convicted of one charge under the Public Order Act and fined S$3,000 (approximately US$2,340).
Justice See Kee Oon, presiding over the appeal, found that the district court judge had erred in law by failing to apply the relevant legal test correctly.
Justice See determined that the trio ought reasonably to have made the appropriate enquiries, which would have enabled them to come to know of the applicable prohibition order covering the route they had taken.
Background to the charges
The three women were among a group of approximately 70 people who gathered outside Plaza Singapura mall at around 2pm on 2 February 2024 before walking to the Istana to deliver letters to then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's office.
The group carried umbrellas painted with watermelon motifs, a symbol widely associated with solidarity with Palestinians during the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.
The activity was identified on social media as part of the "Letters for Palestine" initiative. Participants walked to the Prime Minister's Office, which is located within the Istana and maintains a mail drop-off point at the compound's rear gate.
The three women were charged in June 2024 with organising what the prosecution characterised as a procession between 2pm and 3pm on 2 February 2024 to publicise a cause of solidarity with the Palestinian people. Their trial began on 18 September 2024.
District court acquittal
District Judge John Ng acquitted all three women on 21 October 2025, finding that the prosecution had failed to prove they knew, or ought to have known, that the route they took was within a prohibited area under the Public Order Act.
Judge Ng accepted that the prosecution had successfully established that Sobikun and Amirah had organised the walk and that Annamalai had assisted on the day. However, he held that the second element of the charge — knowledge of the prohibition — had not been made out.
The district judge noted that no visible signs were present along the public path outside the Istana indicating that the area was restricted.
He also observed that previous walks along the same route to deliver letters to the Istana's rear gate had been conducted without legal consequence.
Judge Ng stated that it was clear from the evidence that the three women were trying their best not to run afoul of the law. He concluded that, contrary to their own understanding, the walk had in law amounted to a procession under the Act — a finding that prompted audible gasps and applause from the packed courtroom when the acquittal was announced.
Also during the trial, a commanding officer from the Istana Security Unit testified on 3 July 2025 that the event had been peaceful and had not warranted police intervention. The officer stated that while he had the authority to disperse the crowd or make arrests, he chose not to exercise those powers as the participants were cooperative.
The officer also referred to a similar peaceful letter-delivery event held on 11 January 2024, where no legal action had been taken against participants.
The defence, led by lawyer Uthayasurian Sidambaram at the district court level, argued that there were no signs indicating the route fell within a prohibited area, and noted that no alternative pedestrian path existed from Plaza Singapura to the Istana.
The Attorney General's Chambers (AGC) subsequently announced it would file a notice of appeal against the acquittal.
High Court appeal
According to a report by Channel NewsAsia (CNA), lead prosecutor Hay Hung Chun argued at the appeal that Judge Ng had conflated two legally distinct concepts: whether the women had actual knowledge of the prohibition, and whether they ought reasonably to have known that what they were doing was prohibited under the Act.
CNA also reported that defence lawyer Derek Wong urged the court to dismiss the appeal in its entirety and uphold the district judge's findings of fact and law.
Justice See observed during proceedings, that he found it disconcerting and was troubled by the fact that the district judge's brief oral grounds of decision were in fact longer than his final written grounds.
Justice See ultimately found in favour of the prosecution, holding that the women ought reasonably to have made the relevant enquiries before proceeding with the group walk.
Sentence
Following the convictions, the prosecution indicated it was not pressing for a custodial sentence and left the matter of sentencing to the court. Derek Wong sought a fine of S$3,000 for each of the three women, which Justice See imposed.
Under the Public Order Act, organising a procession in a prohibited place carries a maximum penalty of six months' imprisonment, a fine of up to S$10,000, or both.
