Their most famous locking of legal horns was during the recent Appellate Court hearing of Anwar Ibrahim's sodomy case, where the two exchanged harsh words.
But despite their courtroom enmity, Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, whom Karpal Singh had called a "mercenary", held the latter in high regard.
"As a pure criminal lawyer, he was most ethical and I always enjoyed us giving each other a 'good fight' in our respective roles in litigation," he told Bernama.
Shafee had also appeared at the Court of Appeal on a contempt proceeding involving the Penang Adventist Hospital on Wednesday, the last day that Karpal was in court.
In the wee hours of yesterday morning, the 74-year-old veteran politician was killed in a horrific road collision that also robbed the life of his aide.
Shafee said he observed from a distance that Karpal was deep in thought, almost disturbed.
"I approached him, asking if he was alright and if he was not well, we could ask for a deferment of the case.
"He said he was alright and could go on. He wanted to get on with the case as soon as possible, as though he needed to be back home," he added.
Shafee said that throughout the years, Karpal's health had failed gradually but the ailments never broke his spirit.
"Karpal in his personal life was a quiet person. As such, many interesting stories that he kept to himself may not be known by many. I hope someone can chronicle this someday," he added.
A different man altogether
Shafee also revealed that he had first met Karpal at the Penang public library when the latter was dating Gurmit Kaur, whom he later married.
In an interview with The Star in 2006, Gurmit said that when she was doing her A-Levels, the library was where the couple often met.
Commenting on his role as a politician, Shafee said that Karpal was a different man altogether when he donned his DAP hat.
While he fought for his political causes often with fairness, he added that politics is such that on certain occasions, Karpal, like most politicians, became agitated.
Even seven days before his death, Karpal had targeted Shafee over his appointment to act for the Registrar of Societies (ROS) in the civil application filed by DAP.
The Bukit Gelugor MP said that the civil proceedings against the ROS did not require special expertise.
"Therefore, the appointment of Shafee is unwarranted and an unnecessary burden on the tax-payers.
"His appointment should be revoked and the earlier it is done, the better for tax-payers and the nation.
"I call upon attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail to publicly explain why Shafee was appointed and disclose the remuneration to be paid to him," he added.
But despite their courtroom enmity, Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, whom Karpal Singh had called a "mercenary", held the latter in high regard.
"As a pure criminal lawyer, he was most ethical and I always enjoyed us giving each other a 'good fight' in our respective roles in litigation," he told Bernama.
Shafee had also appeared at the Court of Appeal on a contempt proceeding involving the Penang Adventist Hospital on Wednesday, the last day that Karpal was in court.
In the wee hours of yesterday morning, the 74-year-old veteran politician was killed in a horrific road collision that also robbed the life of his aide.Shafee said he observed from a distance that Karpal was deep in thought, almost disturbed.
"I approached him, asking if he was alright and if he was not well, we could ask for a deferment of the case.
"He said he was alright and could go on. He wanted to get on with the case as soon as possible, as though he needed to be back home," he added.
Shafee said that throughout the years, Karpal's health had failed gradually but the ailments never broke his spirit.
"Karpal in his personal life was a quiet person. As such, many interesting stories that he kept to himself may not be known by many. I hope someone can chronicle this someday," he added.
A different man altogether
Shafee also revealed that he had first met Karpal at the Penang public library when the latter was dating Gurmit Kaur, whom he later married.
In an interview with The Star in 2006, Gurmit said that when she was doing her A-Levels, the library was where the couple often met.
Commenting on his role as a politician, Shafee said that Karpal was a different man altogether when he donned his DAP hat.While he fought for his political causes often with fairness, he added that politics is such that on certain occasions, Karpal, like most politicians, became agitated.
Even seven days before his death, Karpal had targeted Shafee over his appointment to act for the Registrar of Societies (ROS) in the civil application filed by DAP.
The Bukit Gelugor MP said that the civil proceedings against the ROS did not require special expertise.
"Therefore, the appointment of Shafee is unwarranted and an unnecessary burden on the tax-payers.
"His appointment should be revoked and the earlier it is done, the better for tax-payers and the nation.
"I call upon attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail to publicly explain why Shafee was appointed and disclose the remuneration to be paid to him," he added.
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