Nagendra Singh: President of the International Court of Justice

Nagendra Singh ran India’s national elections, then left to judge the world’s biggest disputes between nations. Within thirteen years, he went from Chief Election Commissioner of India to President of the International Court of Justice. He was the first Indian to hold either position.

1Chapter 1: Life and Offices

Must Know

Born in Dungarpur

• Nagendra Singh was born on 18 March 1914 in Dungarpur, Rajasthan.
• He died on 11 December 1988, in The Hague, Netherlands.

From Mayo College to the ICS

• He was educated at Mayo College and at St John’s College, Cambridge.
• He then joined the Indian Civil Service (ICS).

The big offices

• 1966-1972: Secretary to the President of India.
• 1 October 1972 to 6 February 1973: India’s 4th Chief Election Commissioner.
• 1973: judge at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, the first Indian judge there.
• 1976-1979: ICJ Vice-President.
• 1985-1988: ICJ President.
• 1973: Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian honour.

2Chapter 2: Career and the Nicaragua Case

Good to Know

Earlier civil service posts

• Before the ICJ, Singh held several senior civil service posts.
• They included Regional Commissioner for the Eastern States, Joint Secretary in the Defence Ministry and Director-General of Transport.
• He was also a member of the Constituent Assembly of India, which drafted the Constitution.
• See The Constituent Assembly’s Drafting Committee.

At the UN and beyond

• Singh represented India at the UN General Assembly in 1966, 1969 and 1975.
• He served part-time on the UN International Law Commission from 1967 to 1972.
• He was elected Secretary of the International Bar Association.
• He was a prolific author on international law, and taught at several leading universities.

The biggest case: Nicaragua v. United States (1986)

• As ICJ President, Singh presided over this landmark case.
• The Court ruled the US had broken international law.
• It had backed Contra rebels against Nicaragua’s government and mined its harbours.
• Singh voted with the majority, and also wrote his own separate opinion.

Only four Indian ICJ judges, ever

• B.N. Rau (1952-53).
• Nagendra Singh (1973-88).
• R.S. Pathak (1989-91), also India’s 18th Chief Justice.
• Dalveer Bhandari (since 2012).
• Singh preceded ICJ President Taslim Elias, and was succeeded as President by José Ruda.

3Chapter 3: An Unusual Path

Great to Know

Civil service to ICJ

• Singh moved from Secretary to the President, to Chief Election Commissioner, to ICJ judge, all in a single decade.
• He never served as a judge in the Indian judicial system first.

A different route than Pathak

• R.S. Pathak reached the ICJ only after serving as India’s Chief Justice.
• Singh’s route ran through India’s civil service and administration instead.
• See Judges of the Supreme Court of India.

A rare dual perspective

• He ran one country’s elections, then adjudicated disputes between nations.
• For the institution he once led, see The Election Commission and Electoral Reforms.
• His honour belongs to the system in Padma Awards.

Quick Q&A

• Born? 18 March 1914, Dungarpur.
• CEC term? 1 October 1972 to 6 February 1973.
• ICJ President years? 1985 to 1988.
• Landmark case? Nicaragua v. United States, 1986.
• Indian ICJ judges? Rau, Singh, Pathak, Bhandari.