Singapore man jailed for national service deferral

A 28-year-old man in Singapore has been sentenced to 14 weeks in jail for failing to return to the country after his exit permit expired. His appeal against this conviction was rejected by a High Court panel on March 19. Naresh Kumar Nagesvaran enlisted for national service in 2019 after returning to Singapore. He had left for India in 2004 when he was just seven years old. The court learned that his mother managed all communications with the Central Manpower Base (CMPB) until late 2018. At 13, Naresh received a notice about his national service obligations and the need for an exit permit if he wanted to stay overseas for longer than three months. He had two exit permits, allowing him to remain outside Singapore until September 2013. However, he returned only in April 2019, over five years after his last permit expired. Naresh claimed he was unaware of his national service obligations until 2018. However, the prosecution showed that he had applied for his second exit permit himself and had travel records that contradicted his statements. He also attempted to deny authorship of a letter seeking an extension of his permit, claiming it was written in his mother’s handwriting. The district judge ruled that the offense fell under strict liability, meaning Naresh could be convicted regardless of his knowledge of the law. The High Court upheld this decision and stated it was the defense's responsibility to provide evidence to support Naresh's claims. The Ministry of Defence noted that since a sentencing framework was established for national service defaulters, 29 individuals, including Naresh, have faced prison time for similar offenses.