Ujal Singh gets re-appointment as Member WTO Dispute Settlement Appellate Body

By Vijay Kumar

Legal Corner Icon — the image was hosted by the publisher and was not captured.THE Appellate Body is responsible for hearing appeals of WTO panel reports. It is composed of seven members, each appointed for a four-year term, with a possibility to be reappointed once. The expiration dates of terms are staggered, ensuring that not all members begin and complete their terms at the same time. Members of the Appellate Body must be persons of recognized authority with demonstrated expertise in law, international trade and the subject matter of the covered agreements generally and must not be affiliated with any government. The members of the Appellate Body are appointed by the Dispute Settlement Body.

Ujal Singh Bhatia, a 1974 batch IAS officer, retired in 2010 was appointed a Member of this Body in 2011 and his term was to come to an end on 10th December 2015. Now he has been appointed for a fresh four year term from 11.12.2015.