A close friend said he died due to a heart-related ailment at the National Heart Institute (IJN) in Kuala Lumpur this morning.

He had taken ill some two months ago and was admitted to the Island Hospital here over an unknown illness. It was later learnt that he was brought to IJN for further treatment.

Ranjit leaves behind two siblings, Dr Jeswant Singh and Jagjeet Kaur.

The Nhaveen murder trial, which was supposed to continue last week, was delayed to next month after the High Court was told that Ranjit was on medical leave.

Penang Bar chairman S Ravi Chandran said Ranjit was a leading criminal law practitioner in the state whose death was a big loss to the fraternity.

“He was a senior that would readily share his knowledge and experience with juniors, and was a mentor to many criminal lawyers in Penang,” he told FMT.

Ranjit was called to the Bar in 1988 after completing his law degree at Universiti Malaya (UM), according to his childhood friend and “lifelong schoolmate”, Theeba Jothi Jayaram.

Theeba said he went a long way back with Ranjit. Both of them studied together at the Stowell School in Bukit Mertajam, during their primary years, and later at the Bukit Mertajam High School until Form Six. They both also studied law in UM but Theeba was junior to Ranjit.

“Ranjit was a lively and sociable character but stern and meticulous when conducting cases,” Theeba said.

He added that Ranjit was admitted to the Bar on March 11, 1988.

“I am shocked to hear about his passing. He will be missed,” he said.