Who is Indian judge Dalveer Bhandari, who voted against Israel at the ICJ

Judge Bhandari was accorded with the Padma Bhushan, third highest civilian award, in 2014.

Judge Dalveer Bhandari presided in the bench of ICJ which ruled against Israel.

A former Supreme Court judge, Justice Bhandari has been a member of the ICJ since 2012. (PTI photo)

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has directed the Benjamin Netanyahu-led administration of Israel to immediately halt its military assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah. In a clear majority verdict of 13:2, the bench comprised judge Dalveer Bhandari, who is India’s representative at the ICJ and voted in favour that Israel must take all steps available in its command to refrain from the genocidal acts against Palestinians which could fall under the Genocidal Convention.

A former Supreme Court judge, Justice Bhandari has been a member of the ICJ since 2012. Born in Jodhpur on October 1, 1947, he has earned several recognitions, including the Padma Bhushan in 2014. His term was to expire in 2018 but the government of India renominated him to the ICJ in 2017.

Coming from a family background of lawyers, Bhandari’s father Mahaveer Chand Bhandari and grandfather B C Bhandari were lawyers and members of the Rajasthan Bar. Judge Bhandari pursued Humanities and Law from the Jodhpur University and did his Master’s in law from Northwestern University School of Law, US. He practiced in the Rajasthan High Court from 1973 to 1976, and later shifted to the Supreme Court in 1977.

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After practicing for around 23 years, he was appointed as Delhi High Court judge in 1991. He was then elevated to the Supreme Court as judge in October 2005.

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During his tenure in the Supreme Court, Bhandari was part of benches that gave out verdicts related to industrial law, corporate law, constitutional law, criminal procedure among others.

In the judgment delivered on Friday by the ICJ, the court observed that the situation in Gaza has deteriorated since they listed out measures to be taken by Israel in January 2024.

ICJ president Nawaf Salam, in the verdict, said, “The state of Israel shall immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action in the Rafah governorate, which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.”

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In response to the verdict, an Israeli spokesman told Reuters that “no power on Earth will stop Israel from protecting its citizens and going after Hamas in Gaza.”

Also Read | ICJ orders Israel to halt Rafah offensive in Gaza