Updated: 04/22/2014 23:06 | By Channel NewsAsia
Man withdraws court appeal over Article 12 on homosexual discrimination
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SINGAPORE: The man who wanted the court to declare that Article 12 of the Singapore Constitution prohibits workplace discrimination of homosexual men has dropped his court appeal.
After he was fired by Robinson & Company (Singapore), Lawrence Wee had filed a claim in the High Court against his former employer for constructive dismissal arising from alleged homosexual discrimination.
But the Assistant Registrar struck out Wee's claim against the Attorney-General as he agreed that Wee had failed to show an arguable case that the government had violated his Article 12 constitutional rights.
Wee had therefore failed to show that he even had standing to seek the declaration.
After the Assistant Registrar struck out his case, Wee filed the appeal.
Three other persons joined Wee in his appeal. They included an androgyne, a transvestite and a bisexual.
The Attorney-General had applied to strike out the case, on the basis that the case was "not sustainable in law, was frivolous and vexatious or was otherwise an abuse of the Court process".
But on Monday, the lawyer for Wee and the other three persons applied to withdraw the appeal.
The Attorney-General did not object to the withdrawal of the application.
Judicial Commissioner Tan Siong Thye granted the withdrawal of the appeal and ordered Wee to pay costs to the Attorney-General.
The Assistant Registrar also ordered Wee to pay costs to the Attorney-General upon the striking out of Wee's case. - CNA/gn
