Before joining the ICJ, Bhandari was a judge in the higher judiciary in India for

more than 20 years.

India has re-nominated Justice Dalveer Bhandari as its candidate for another
term as judge at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial
organ of the UN.Bhandari, 69, was elected in April 2012 during simultaneous
balloting in both the General Assembly and the Security Council to a seat on
the International Court of Justice, which is also known as the World Court and
is based in The Hague in the Netherlands.

His current term runs through February 2018.India filed Bhandari's re-
nomination yesterday with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres here, well
ahead of the July 3 deadline.

The ICJ elections will be held in November and if elected, he will serve a
term of nine years.During his term at the ICJ, Bhandari has been engaged
actively in the work of the Court and has delivered individual opinions in
eleven cases covering a broad spectrum of subjects such as maritime
disputes, whaling in Antarctica, crime of genocide, delimitation of continental
shelf, nuclear disarmament, financing of terrorism and violation of sovereign
rights.Before joining the ICJ, Bhandari was a judge in the higher judiciary
in India for more than 20 years. He had served as a senior judge in the
Supreme Court of India.The ICJ is composed of 15 judges elected to nine-
year terms by the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council
that vote simultaneously but separately.

In order to be elected, a candidate must receive an absolute majority of

the votes in both bodies.According to ICJs website, judges must be elected
from among persons of high moral character, who possess the qualifications
required in their respective countries for appointment to the highest judicial
offices, or are jurisconsults of recognised competence in international
law.Judges are chosen on the basis of their qualifications, not their nationality,
but no two judges can be from the same nationality.

Effort is also taken to ensure that the principal legal systems of the world are
reflected in the composition of the court.Established in 1945, the ICJ settles
legal disputes between States and gives advisory opinions on legal questions
that have been referred to it by other authorized UN organs.

The Court is open to all parties to its Statute, which automatically

includes all UN Member States.