Maharaj Sri Nagendra Singh was an Indian lawyer and administrator who served as President of the International Court of Justice from 1985 to 1988.He was the first judge of the International Court of Justice.

Born in princely Rajput Sisodia royal family of Rajasthan in 1914, as the third son of Maharaja Sri Sir Bijaya Singh and Maharani DevendraKunwarSahiba. Before joining the Civil Service he was educated at St John’s College, Cambridge he showed early promise of his future scholarly interests by winning the Viceroy’s Medal at the Diploma examination of the Mayo College, Ajmer. After passing his B.A. Examination from Agra, against with distinction standing first in the University and winning the Pinhey Medal, he shifted the scene of his scholarly pursuits to Cambridge, winning his M.A., LL.M. and LL.D. Degrees from that University. Years later, he was awarded the D.Sc. in Law by the Moscow University. He won his D.C.L. from Delhi, D. Phil. From Calcutta and D. Litt. From Bihar. Much earlier during his stay in England, he had earned his B. Litt. And LL.D. Degrees from the Dublin University on the basis of his published and unpublished work.

Dr. Nagendra Singh joined the Indian Civil Service in 1937-38, by the open competitive Examination held by the civil service commission, London and was awarded the Cama Prize by St. John’s College, Cambridge for high distinction in the examination. Form 1938, he held several appointments under the state and central governments ranging from District Magistrate to Secretary in a number of Ministries of the Central Government. He was secretary to the President of India from 1966 to 1972. He was also the Chief Election Commissioner to the Government of India in 1972.

Genius has been described by a wag as the development of one faculty at the cost of others but not so in the case of Dr. Nagendra Singh. His many splendored personality had found many outlets. He was the author of a number of books many of which are an epitome of his deep scholarship and serve as reference books. To mention a few: Termination of Membership of International Organization, Nuclear Weapons and International Law, The International Law Problems of Merchant Shipping, Defence Mechanism of the Modern State, British Shipping, The Concept of Force and Organization of Defence in the Constitutional History of India, Human Rights and International Co-operation, Recent Trends in Development of International Law, The State Practice of India in the field of International Law, Commercial Law of India, Bhutan-A Kingdom of Himalayas, Maritime Flag and International Law, The British heritage of Asia, Justice Concepts of Ancient Indian Polity, The Role of ICJ etc. Dr. Nagendra Singh was member of a number of legal Institutes and International Law association including the Institute of International Law; Member of the Executive Council of the Indian Institute of Constitutional and Parliamentary Studies; President of the Maritime Law Association of India, President of the Indian Society of International Law and The President of International Goodwill Society of India. He was Representative of India to the U.N. General Assembly in 1966, 1969 and 1971; Member and later Vice-Chairman of the International Law Commission; Vice-Chairman and later Chairman of the United Nations Commission on International Trade and Law; Chairman of the Expert Group on shipping of the Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East; President of the I.L.O. Maritime Session and the IMCO Assembly. He was elected a Fellow of St. Johns College, Cambridge in 1975 and Master Bencher of Grays Inn, London in 1974.

Early in January 1973, he became a Judge of the International Court of Justice at the Hague for a term of 9 years and from 1976 to 1979 he was elected its Vice-President and was re-elected for another term of 9 years in Nov. 1982-a rare distinction for any man. Of which his country can rightly be proud. He was elected President of the ICJ in Feb. 1985 and remained on his high post till his death on Dec. 11 1988, Dr. Nagendra Singh was the first Indian to have achieved this highest position in UN’s Chief Judicial Organ. He was the first founder President of the International Goodwill Society of India.

And last but not least, Dr. Nagendra Singh has been a Visiting Professor of International law and Maritime Law at the Universities of Madras, Delhi, Udaipur, Bombay and Banaras. The Hague Academy of International Law, King Tribhuvan Professor of Human Rights, University of Nepal and Nehru Professor of International Co-operation at the Graduate Institute of International Studes, Geneva. In recognition of his proven merit and services to the Nation, Dr. Nagendra Singh was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1973. The more one learns of Dr. Nagendra Singh, the more one marvels at what one man could achieve. In his person he combined deep and rare scholarship with statesmanship and judicial acumen-a truly versatile man.

He continued to live at the Hague and died there in December 1988.