Central govt to nominate Justice AK Sikri to Commonwealth Secretariat Arbitral Tribunal

The Central government has decided to nominate Supreme Court judge, Justice AK Sikri to the post of president/member of the London-based Commonwealth Secretariat (CSAT) Arbitral Tribunal, reports The Print. The decision was made last month..Justice Sikri is set to retire from the Supreme Court on March 6..Justice AK Sikri was instrumental in the ouster of Alok Verma as CBI Director. Justice Sikri and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had voted for the ouster of Verma while Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge dissented..Subsequently, there were calls from different quarters that Sikri J. should refrain from accepting post-retirement jobs offered by the Executive..The Commonwealth Secretariat Arbitral Tribunal was established and operates under a Statute agreed by Commonwealth governments in 1995. It was established to meet the requirements of the Agreed Memorandum on the Commonwealth Secretariat (1964) which was revised by governments in 2005..The CSAT has a full complement of eight members comprising the President and seven other members. The members are selected by Commonwealth Governments on a regionally representative basis from among persons of high moral character who must hold or have held high judicial office in a Commonwealth country. The members are appointed on a four year term which may be renewed only once..To consider a case before it, the Tribunal is normally composed of a panel of three including the President and two other members selected by the President. The CSAT is competent to hear applications brought by three categories of persons namely:.(a) a member of staff of the Commonwealth Secretariat.(b) the Commonwealth Secretariat.(c) any person who enters into a contract in writing with the Commonwealth Secretariat..The Tribunal may also hear applications arising out of disputes involving other Commonwealth international or intergovernmental organizations which agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the CSAT.