Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon to retire in Feb 2027, will be succeeded by Justice Sushil Nair

[DaoMa]

Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon to retire in Feb 2027, will be succeeded by Justice Sushil Nair​

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Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon (left) will step down on Feb 26, 2027, with Justice Sushil Sukumaran Nair set to take over.

PHOTOS: SINGAPORE COURTS

Published Jul 17, 2026, 04:00 PM
Updated Jul 17, 2026, 04:36 PM

SINGAPORE – Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon is set to retire on Feb 26, 2027, with Court of Appeal judge Sushil Nair to be appointed Singapore’s fifth Chief Justice on the same day.

In a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on July 17, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said: “Chief Justice Menon has served Singapore with distinction over the past 14 years. Under his leadership, our judiciary has earned the confidence of Singaporeans and the respect of the international legal community. I thank him for his exceptional service.

“I am confident that Justice Sushil Nair will build on these strong foundations and continue to uphold the excellence, integrity and independence of our judiciary.”

Menon was appointed to the top role on Nov 6, 2012, and has since led the Singapore judiciary through a period of significant transformation, PMO said.

Under Menon, the judiciary strengthened its institutional foundations, improved access to justice and modernised its administration, as well as reinforced public confidence in the rule of law, PMO added.

Menon oversaw major reforms to strengthen the courts’ capabilities – he led their digital transformation and established the Appellate Division of the High Court. This allowed appeals to be heard and resolved more efficiently.

Menon also played a key role in developing the Singapore International Commercial Court and its International Committee, strengthening Singapore’s position as a trusted centre for international dispute resolution.

In addition, the Family Justice Courts and the Youth Courts embraced a therapeutic justice approach under his leadership, changing how family and youth cases are heard and resolved.

Menon also established the Singapore Judicial College as the cornerstone of judicial education.

Nair joined the Bench as Judicial Commissioner on April 1, 2025. He was later appointed a High Court Judge, and then a Justice of the Court of Appeal on June 15.

He joined the judiciary with 35 years of legal service under his belt. He previously served as deputy chief executive of the Drew & Napier law firm, and head of its Corporate Restructuring and Workouts practice group.

He is widely recognised as a leading authority on complex commercial and cross-border cases in the Asia-Pacific, PMO said.

Read PM Wong’s letter in full here.

 

[A Singaporean]

A kangaroo.

 

[Balls2U]

"Nair joined the Bench as Judicial Commissioner on April 1, 2025. He was later appointed a High Court Judge, and then a Justice of the Court of Appeal on June 15."

Question: Why is he chosen as CJ when he was only appointed to the High Court bench last year? There are so many eligible candidates from the existing pool of judges like Philip Jeyaratnam, Vinod Coomaraswamy (his father is former High Court judge Punch Coomaraswamy), Hri Kumar (former PAP MP) and Steven Chong (existing Court of Appeal judge). Why should a newbie to the Bench become the next CJ? Just like Yong Pung Sai's appointment 35 years ago.

 

[Dongyi]

"Nair joined the Bench as Judicial Commissioner on April 1, 2025. He was later appointed a High Court Judge, and then a Justice of the Court of Appeal on June 15."

Question: Why is he chosen as CJ when he was only appointed to the High Court bench last year? There are so many eligible candidates from the existing pool of judges like Philip Jeyaratnam, Vinod Coomaraswamy (his father is former High Court judge Punch Coomaraswamy), Hri Kumar (former PAP MP) and Steven Chong (existing Court of Appeal judge). Why should a newbie to the Bench become the next CJ? Just like Yong Pung Sai's appointment 35 years ago.

They could have made Steven Lam the CJ too.