PYQ Vault · Paper 2 · The United Nations
Describe the composition of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Discuss its voluntary jurisdiction.
How the answer moves
The flow snapshot — the routes in, the body, the counter-view and the routes out.
Flow snapshot — how the answer moves
Intro routes
R1 principal judicial organ, 1945, The Hague → bench built to represent the world → jurisdiction reaches only as far as states allow R2 composition is universal, jurisdiction is consensual → the Court's reach is fixed by states, not by its bench
Body flow
fifteen judges / no two from same state / nine years / elected by General Assembly + Security Council voting separately / five seats every three years → bench must represent principal legal systems + main forms of civilization → hence the claim to speak for international society → but no compulsory jurisdiction → consent routes: party to the Statute / acceptance under conditions / referral → two heads: contentious (states) + advisory (UN organs, specialised agencies) → within consent the grip is firm: final, binding, no appeal → Kulbhushan Jadhav order to Pakistan
Counter-view
the same consent is the weakness → states may refuse jurisdiction enforcement runs through the UNSC, permanent member can veto → US and Israel non-compliance → Prabhash Ranjan: over Ukraine, Russia can veto enforcement against itself
Conclusion routes
Rk! consent loosens the grip exactly where the stakes are highest → still the archetype of international adjudication R2 representative bench + consensual jurisdiction → the most far-reaching attempt yet to apply the rule of law between states
Model answer
Handwritten, in the form it would be written in the examination hall.
