India's nominee Dalveer Bhandari was re-elected as the fifth judge to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) after the United Kingdom withdrew nomination of Christopher Greenwood on Monday.
According to the UN News, Bhandari received absolute majority of votes in the elections at the Security Council and the General Assembly.
Expressing her happiness over the victory of Indian nominee at the ICJ election, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj took to her Twitter page to say, "Vande Matram - India wins election to the International Court of Justice. JaiHind. #ICJ"
Bhandari joins Ronny Abraham of France, Chaloka Beyani (Zambia), Antonio Augusto Cançado Trindade (Brazil), Nawaf Salam (Lebanon), and Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf (Somalia) as the five judges who will serve along with ten other judges at the ICJ.
Their nine-year terms will begin on February 6, 2018.
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 .
Earlier, India reportedly called out the UK for its 'undemocratic' and 'cabalistic' tactics to win elections at the ICJ.
Established in 1945, the ICJ is composed of 15 judges, who are elected by an absolute majority in both the General Assembly and Security Council.
