India Finds ‘Place In The Sun’ With Win At International Court Of Justice

The re-election of Justice Dalveer Bhandari to the International Court of Justice, the topmost judicial body of the United Nations, has been hailed as a huge diplomatic victory for India.

The hard-fought battle saw the United Kingdom's Justice Greenwood withdrawing his nomination after 10 rounds of voting in which India received overwhelming support from the United General Assembly. Christopher Greenwood, meanwhile, was supported by the United Nations Security Council populated with developed nations.

“India has ultimately found its place in the sun”, former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told BloombergQuint. Hailing it as a diplomatic victory, Rohatgi said, “The voice of India matters and world looks up when India talks.”

Bhandari received 183-193 votes in the General Assembly and secured all 15 votes in the Security Council to fill the final vacancy on the ICJ after separate but simultaneous elections were held at the U.N. headquarters in New York.

“This is also reflective of what we hope will be a trend,” said career diplomat and Former Indian Ambassador to Denmark, Neelam Deo. “The U.K. and other members of the Security Council must now come to the judgement that the world has changed,” she added.

It is the first time in over 70 years that the United Kingdom would not have a representative on the prestigious International Court of Justice. The Guardian described the development as ‘a humiliating blow to British international prestige'. The BBC called it a ‘symbol of Britain's reduced status on the world stage.'

British Politician Lord Meghnad Desai, though, calls these descriptions “exaggerated”. “Good news is good news and lets not make too much of its current significance,” he said.

The International Court of Justice deliberates on disputes between nations and is currently hearing the case of Indian naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav who has been sentenced to death by a Pakistan court on charges of spying. The hearing on the case will reconvene in December.

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