Government of India welcomes Judge Dalveer Bhandari's re-election to ICJ

The Government of India has welcomed the re-election of Judge Dalveer Bhandari to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Tuesday.

The United Nations (UN) General Assembly and the UN Security Council convened independently in New York yesterday to fill the fifth vacancy for the 2018-2027 terms.

The UN Security Council and the General Assembly voted overwhelmingly in India's support.

Judge Dalveer Bhandari received all 15 votes in the UN Security Council and 183 out of the 193 votes in the UN General Assembly.

"The extraordinary support from the UN membership is reflective of the respect for strong constitutional integrity of the Indian polity and the independence of the judiciary in India," the MEA stated.

"It may be recalled that the Indian National Group to the Permanent Court of Arbitration had re-nominated Judge Dalveer Bhandari as India's national candidate in June 2017. The Government of India has been supporting the campaign of Judge Bhandari through diplomatic efforts at different for a," it further reads.

The MEA appreciated the UK's decision to withdraw its candidate after a closely fought electoral process and thanked all those governments who supported India in this election.

After withdrawing their candidate, the UK will not have a judge on the bench of the ICJ for the first time in its 71-year history.