The ICCBA is sad to announce the passing of Puan Sri N.Saraswathy Devi. A member of the ICCBA since its establishment and ICC list counsel, Puan Sri was one of the first female lawyers in Malaysia and was practicing shortly before her passing on 1 September 2023.
She was called to the English Bar in 1961 by Middle Temple. She was, by call, the most senior member of the ICCBA maintaining a vibrant practice and continuing to appear in court until the end of last year.
She represented clients at all levels of courts in Malaysia and appeared successfully before the Privy Council. She was a founding member of the ASEAN Bar Association and served as President of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) in 2005. In this capacity she actively worked to advocate for proper gender representation of women judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC). Her daughters Dato’ Shyamala Alagendra and Venkateswari Alagendra are active members and have served in the ICCBA and have represented several accused at the ICC. We express our deepest condolences to her family and friends.