Rabinder Singh (judge) explained

Honorific-Prefix:The Right Honourable
Lord Justice Singh
Office:Lord Justice of Appeal
Term Start:2 October 2017
Predecessor:Sir David Kitchin
Office2:President of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal
Term Start2:27 September 2018
Office3:Justice of the High Court
Term Start3:2011
Term End3:2017
Birth Date:6 March 1964
Birth Place:Delhi, India
Nationality:British
Alma Mater:Trinity College, Cambridge
University of California, Berkeley
Inns of Court School of Law

Sir Rabinder Singh, PC (born 6 March 1964[1]), styled The Rt. Hon. Lord Justice Singh, is a British Court of Appeal judge and President of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, formerly a High Court judge of the Queen's Bench Division, a King's Counsel and barrister, formerly a founding member of Matrix Chambers and a legal academic.

Early life and education

Rabinder Singh was born in 1964 in Delhi to a Sikh family. He grew up in a working-class part of Bristol and attended the private Bristol Grammar School. From an early age Singh had an interest in law and liked the thought of one day becoming an advocate.[2] At Trinity College, Cambridge, he earned a double first in law in 1985. Between 1985 and 1986 Singh spent a year as a Harkness Fellow[3] at the University of California at Berkeley studying for his LL.M. During his time at Berkeley he became interested in constitutional law, particularly misuse of power and how the law holds those in power to account. This interest was partly fuelled by the late Professor Frank Newman at Berkeley, a pioneer in the field of human rights law and by his studies on the United States Constitution at Berkeley. In 1988 he attended the Inns of Court School of Law to undertake his final examinations, and he was called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn in July 1989.[4]

Career at the Bar (1989–2011)

4–5 Gray's Inn Square

Singh undertook pupillage at the barristers' chambers 4–5 Gray's Inn Square where he became a tenant in 1990.[5] He remained there for 10 years specialising in public and administrative law, employment law, European Community law, human rights law, commercial law and media law. From 1992 to 2002 he was one of the Junior Counsel to the Crown (from 2000 on the A Panel). From 1997 to 2002 Singh was Additional Junior Counsel to the Inland Revenue.[6]

Matrix Chambers

Singh, Booth and 5 other tenants from 4–5 Gray's Inn Square, together with 16 barristers from other chambers, set up Matrix Chambers in 2000.[7] With the formation of Matrix, none of the five silks signed up to Matrix at the time was estimated to earn much more than £200,000 a year, Singh however was believed to be the biggest earner of them all. One senior clerk said: "The problem they will have is that Rabinder Singh is by far their biggest earner. He will be carrying the rent which could cause a lot of internal politics."[5] Singh went on to be named the Barrister of the Year by the Lawyer Magazine[8] in 2001 and was appointed Queen's Counsel in 2002.[9] He was acknowledged as a Leading Silk in Administrative and Public law; Singh was described by Chambers & Partners Legal 500 2006 as being "known for his expertise in cross-disciplinary work" and as "one of the most impressive younger silks" in the area of Administrative and Public law. Singh was the Chair of the Bar Council Equality and Diversity Committee (Race and Religion) from 2004 to 2006. Also, from 2006 to 2008, Singh was the Chair of the Constitutional and Administrative Law Bar Association.[6] In 2009 he was made a Bencher of Lincoln's Inn.[10]

Judicial career

Singh was appointed a deputy High Court judge in 2003. Aged 39 when he was appointed, he was thought to be the youngest judge to sit in the High Court.[11] In 2004 he became a Recorder (part-time judge) of the Crown Court.[12] His appointment as a judge of the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court was announced on 29 July 2011. The appointment took effect on 3 October 2011, following the promotion of Mr Justice Kitchin to be a member of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales.[12] He is the first Sikh to be made a High Court judge, and wears a turban rather than a wig while presiding.[13] Singh was sworn in as a High Court Judge at Royal Courts of Justice on Monday 10 October 2011.[14]

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said of Singh's appointment:

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.[15]

In 2016, Singh joined the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, and he was appointed President on 27 September 2018.[16]

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.[17] Singh was a visiting professor of law at the London School of Economics (LSE) from 2003 to 2009.[18] In 2004 he was granted an honorary Doctorate of Laws by the London Metropolitan University.[19] In 2007 Appointed Special Professor of Law, University of Nottingham.[20] 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.[21] In 2016 he was elected as a visiting fellow at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford.[22]

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.[19] 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.[23] 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.[24]

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.[30] 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.[31]

Publications

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

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Singh, Rabinder Rt. Hon Sir. Who's Who entry. 1 December 2007. Who's Who. 10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U43104. 978-0-19-954088-4.
  2. Web site: onlinebld. onlinebld Lawyer of The Month. onlinebld. 20 July 2011.
  3. Book: Who's Who entry. 10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U43104. 978-0-19-954088-4.
  4. News: The Telegraph. Sikh will monitor refused visa cases. The Telegraph. 20 July 2011. London. 17 October 2000.
  5. Web site: The Lawyer. Getting into the limelight. The Lawyer. 20 July 2011.
  6. Web site: Chambers and Partners. Rabinder Singh QC. Chambers and Partners. 2 August 2011. 19 October 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121019114441/http://www.chambersandpartners.com/uk/Firms/10703-39434/232493. dead.
  7. Web site: The Lawyer. Set for action. The Lawyer. 20 July 2011.
  8. Web site: The Lawyer 10 June 2002. Keeping up appearances. The Lawyer. 2 August 2011.
  9. Web site: The Lawyer. Irvine's motives in question as record number takes silk. The Lawyer. 2 August 2011.
  10. Web site: Lincolns Inn. List of Benchers. Lincolns Inn. 2 August 2011. 6 October 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181006075120/https://www.lincolnsinn.org.uk/index.php/about-us/our-membership/list-of-benchers. dead.
  11. News: Dyer. Clare. High court judge will be first to wear turban. The Guardian. 2 August 2011. London. 24 March 2003.
  12. Web site: High Court Bench Appointment – Singh QC. www.justice.gov.uk. 2 August 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110929191916/http://www.justice.gov.uk/news/judicial-appointments/judicial-290711-075.htm. 29 September 2011. dead. dmy-all.
  13. News: High Court appoints its first Sikh judge. Taylor. Jerome. 30 July 2011. 2 August 2011. The Independent. London.
  14. Web site: First Sikh Judge Of UK High Court Sworn In India News – India TV. 11 October 2011.
  15. Web site: Courts and Tribunal Judiciary website.
  16. Web site: The Investigatory Powers Tribunal - Home Page. The Investigatory Powers Tribunal. 2016-07-05. www.ipt-uk.com. EN. 2019-11-02.
  17. Web site: Queen Mary University of London. annual LexisNexis Butterworths Lecture on Law and Society at Queen Mary, University of London on 16 March 2011. (Video Lecture). Queen Mary University of London. 21 July 2011.
  18. Web site: London School of Economics. LSE academics nominated for 2003 Asian Jewel Awards. London School of Economics – press release. 20 July 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20111121091757/http://www2.lse.ac.uk/newsAndMedia/news/archives/2003/Asian_Jewel_Awards.aspx. 21 November 2011. dead. dmy-all.
  19. Web site: bldmedia. Lawyer of the Month August 2006. bldmedia. 21 July 2011.
  20. News: Special Professor List. Special Professor List. 19 July 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110707010921/http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/law/staff-lookup/special-professors/index.aspx. 7 July 2011. dead. dmy-all.
  21. Web site: Queen Mary University of London. Rabinder Singh QC on Law and Society. Queen Mary University of London Website Article. Queen Mary University of London. 21 July 2011. 27 September 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110927083300/http://www.qmul.ac.uk/media/news/items/hss/44705.html. dead.
  22. Web site: Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. 13 July 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170713041343/http://www.lmh.ox.ac.uk/our-academics/visiting-fellows. dead.
  23. News: The Guardian. 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. 22 July 2011. London. 16 October 2000.
  24. News: BBC News. Lawyer joins Big Brother review. BBC News. 25 July 2011. 23 January 2007.
  25. Web site: 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. 21 July 2011.
  26. Web site: Britain' Supreme Court Documentary. Britain' Supreme Court. Channel 4 Documentaries. Channel 4 4od. 21 July 2011.
  27. Web site: European Court of Human Rights judgment. Hirst v UK (2005).
  28. Web site: BAILII court judgment. S & Marper v UK (2008).
  29. Web site: European Court of Human Rights judgment. https://web.archive.org/web/20181116022304/http://www.bailii.org/cgi-bin/format.cgi?doc=%2Feu%2Fcases%2FECHR%2F2002%2F588.htm. dead. 16 November 2018.
  30. Web site: Mr Rabinder Singh, QC. Monash University. 21 July 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20070830093804/http://www.law.monash.edu.au/postgraduate/sess-rsingh.html. 30 August 2007. dead. dmy-all.
  31. News: Singh . Rabinder . 6 August 2005 . I am a lawyer, not a bomber . The Guardian . 22 July 2011.
  32. News: The Guardian. Rabinder Singh: We need a written constitution. The Guardian. 31 July 2011. London. 15 October 2010.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Rabinder Singh (judge)".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.