The re-election of Justice Dalveer Bhandari to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at the Hague is seen as a major diplomatic triumph for New Delhi. The dramatic turn of events, after eleven rounds of tough battle between Justice Bhandari and his English competitor Sir Christopher Greenwood, has made heads turn. Britain backing out of the race just hours before the final voting began is attributed to India’s new-found vigour in tackling the severest of diplomatic challenges.
The ICJ, or the World Court, selects its members based on the votes accrued from the members of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGC) and the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Since absolute majority in both the UNGA and the UNSC is a prerequisite for the election of ICJ judges, a piquant situation had arisen in the UN which demanded an unprecedented strategic manoeuvring from New Delhi to outscore the UK. The Indian candidate consistently outrivaled the British nominee in the UNGA but was humbled in the UNSC which led to the exceptional stalemate.
It is but natural that while India has received a round of applause for its win, the UK government has been panned by its MPs and the press. They have poured out their anguish on a UN permanent member losing out to a non-member. The defeat has also been viewed as Britain’s diminishing clout post Brexit. Though the British government has “congratulated” Justice Bhandari saying real victory was for the “close friendship” between the two nations, it is clear that it n would not have sacrificed the seat just for the heck of it.
Undoubtedly, the backroom players from India, and some key nations including the United States, ensured Justice Bhandari won a second term because Britain had made a last ditch attempt to hold a joint United Nations meet and had pitched for a secret ballot both of which were nipped in the bud. Be that as it may, though New Delhi is over the moon, which is understandable, it should be cautious to see to it that the “victory” would not in any way dent the excellent bilateral relations. Back home, however, with an Indian jurist retaining his seat at the ICJ should mean a lot for the county’s citizens praying for the safe return of Kulbhushan Jadhav.
