Rabinder Singh (judge)

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The Government wants to create a society of aspiration, where people of ability feel free to aim to reach the highest offices of our country, regardless of their background, race or gender. The appointment of Mr Rabinder Singh QC, a talented and highly respected barrister, to the High Court, represents a real landmark in the drive to create a more diverse judiciary which continues to attract the highest quality candidates.

Legal Week [16]

From 2013 to 2016 he was a Presiding Judge of the South Eastern Circuit and in 2017 he was the Administrative Court Liaison Judge for Wales and the Midlands & Western Circuits. [17]

In 2016, Singh joined the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, and he was appointed President on 27 September 2018. [18]

He was appointed a Lord Justice of Appeal in July 2017, the appointment taking effect on 2 October 2017. He was sworn in on 5 October 2017. He is the first person from any BAME community to be a member of the Court of Appeal. As is customary for judges of the Court of Appeal he was appointed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to the Privy Council.

Academic career

When Singh returned to England from California in 1986, he became a law lecturer at the University of Nottingham for 2 years. In the late 1990s Singh was a visiting fellow at Queen Mary University of London. [19] Singh was a visiting professor of law at the London School of Economics (LSE) from 2003 to 2009. [20] In 2004 he was granted an honorary Doctorate of Laws by the London Metropolitan University. [21] In 2007 Appointed Special Professor of Law, University of Nottingham. [22] Singh delivered the annual LexisNexis Butterworths Lecture on Law and Society at Queen Mary University of London on 16 March 2011. The lecture, entitled 'The Changing Nature of the Judicial Process' examined what judges actually do in practice and how this has changed over the last 100 years. [23] In 2016 he was elected as a visiting fellow at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. [24]

Public appointments and other positions

In 2000 Singh was appointed by then Foreign Secretary Robin Cook as 'Independent Monitor for Entry Clearance' between October 2000 and November 2002. [21] The position was established in 1993 and requires a review of around 1000 randomly chosen entry clearance refusals without a right of appeal and looking at the overall quality of refusal decisions, paying particular attention to fairness, consistency and the procedures used to reach those decisions. He makes random checks on some 800-1,000 visa refusals a year to see whether decisions are consistent and fair, and makes an annual report to the Parliament of the United Kingdom suggesting any improvements he thinks necessary. Singh is the second person to hold the job – his predecessor was Dame Elizabeth Anson. [25] Rabinder Singh QC was also an independent member on a three-strong panel commissioned in the wake of the race row which erupted on Big Brother UK 2007 where Jade Goody and fellow housemates were accused of racist bullying towards Indian actress Shilpa Shetty. [26]

Notable cases (as counsel)

Interests

Singh has an interest in Greek poetry. He was asked in an interview, "If you were to choose a profession other than law, what would it be and why?". He responded "One thing I would have liked to be is an academic specialising in Greek poetry. I love Greek poetry. I can read Ancient Greek but never had the chance to develop my interest." [2] Singh is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. [32] Singh has also expressed his views writing in The Guardian on how 'Asians should not be prejudged because of the way we look' following a personal experience on the London Underground following the 7 July 2005 London bombings. [33]

Publications

• The Unity of Law (2022) Hart Publishing, ISBN 978-1509949427

See also

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References

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  3. Who's Who entry. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U43104. ISBN   978-0-19-954088-4.
  4. The Telegraph (17 October 2000). "Sikh will monitor refused visa cases". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  5. "Lincoln's Inn Great Hall, Singh, R". Baz Manning. 18 October 2015. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  6. 1 2 The Lawyer. "Getting into the limelight". The Lawyer. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  7. 1 2 Chambers and Partners. "Rabinder Singh QC". Chambers and Partners. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  8. The Lawyer. "Set for action". The Lawyer. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  9. The Lawyer 10 June 2002. "Keeping up appearances". The Lawyer. Retrieved 2 August 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. The Lawyer. "Irvine's motives in question as record number takes silk". The Lawyer. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  11. Lincolns Inn. "List of Benchers". Lincolns Inn. Archived from the original on 6 October 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  12. Dyer, Clare (24 March 2003). "High court judge will be first to wear turban". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  13. 1 2 "High Court Bench Appointment – Singh QC". www.justice.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  14. Taylor, Jerome (30 July 2011). "High Court appoints its first Sikh judge". The Independent . London. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
  15. "First Sikh Judge Of UK High Court Sworn In | India News – India TV". 11 October 2011.
  16. "Courts and Tribunal Judiciary website".
  17. "The Investigatory Powers Tribunal - Home Page". www.ipt-uk.com. The Investigatory Powers Tribunal. 5 July 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
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  19. London School of Economics. "LSE academics nominated for 2003 Asian Jewel Awards". London School of Economics – press release. Archived from the original on 21 November 2011. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  20. 1 2 bldmedia. "Lawyer of the Month August 2006". bldmedia. Retrieved 21 July 2011.[ permanent dead link ]
  21. Special Professor List. "Special Professor List". Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
  22. Queen Mary University of London. "Rabinder Singh QC on Law and Society". Queen Mary University of London Website Article. Queen Mary University of London. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
  23. "Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford". Archived from the original on 13 July 2017.
  24. The Guardian (16 October 2000). "Guard at the gate – Barrister Rabinder Singh, who co-founded the Matrix chambers with Cherie Booth, has been charged with the highly sensitive task of monitoring Britain's visa system. He talks to Clare Dyer". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 22 July 2011.
  25. BBC News (23 January 2007). "Lawyer joins Big Brother review". BBC News. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
  26. UK Supreme Court Judgement. "JUDGMENT Her Majesty's Treasury (Respondent) v Mohammed Jabar Ahmed and others (FC) (Appellants) Her Majesty's Treasury (Respondent) v Mohammed al-Ghabra (FC) (Appellant) R (on the application of Hani El Sayed Sabaei Youssef) (Respondent) v Her Majesty's Treasury (Appellant)". UK Supreme Court Judgement. BAILII. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
  27. Britain' Supreme Court Documentary. "Britain' Supreme Court". Channel 4 Documentaries. Channel 4 4od. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
  28. Hirst v UK (2005). "European Court of Human Rights judgment".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  29. S & Marper v UK (2008). "BAILII court judgment".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)[ dead link ]
  30. "European Court of Human Rights judgment".
  31. "Mr Rabinder Singh, QC". Monash University. Archived from the original on 30 August 2007. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
  32. Singh, Rabinder (6 August 2005). "I am a lawyer, not a bomber". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 July 2011.
  33. The Guardian (15 October 2010). "Rabinder Singh: We need a written constitution". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
Lord Justice Singh
PC KC
Sir Rabinder Singh 2015.jpg
Lord Justice of Appeal
Assumed office
2 October 2017