In a significant move, the United Nations has appointed former Orissa High Court Chief Justice S Muralidhar as the Chair of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel, thus placing an Indian jurist at the helm of one of the UN’s most closely watched human-rights investigations amid the continuing Israel-Palestine conflict.
The appointment was announced by Human Rights Council President Ambassador Jürg Lauber, who confirmed that Justice Muralidhar will lead the three-member body tasked with examining alleged violations of international humanitarian and human-rights law on both sides of the conflict. He will serve alongside Florence Mumba of Zambia and Chris Sidoti of Australia.
The Commission was created in 2021 through Resolution S-30/1, which mandated a continuous inquiry into events unfolding “in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in Israel” from April 13, 2021.The mandate empowers the Commission to examine not only specific incidents but also the “root causes of recurrent tensions”, including systemic discrimination linked to identity, ethnicity, race or religion.
Last year, the Human Rights Council expanded the Commission’s responsibilities, directing it to file additional reports on Israeli settlers, as well as on global weapons transfers, including those used during Israel’s military operations in Gaza after October 7, 2023.In its report delivered in September 2025, the Commission concluded that Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
Justice Muralidhar’s appointment places him at the centre of these inquiries.A highly respected jurist, Justice Muralidhar practised before the Supreme Court of India for nearly two decades, served as counsel to the National Human Rights Commission and appeared as Amicus Curiae in several public-interest cases.
He was appointed as a judge of the Delhi High Court in 2006 and went on to become Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court in 2021, where his tenure saw significant institutional reforms including digitisation of court records and creation of the Judicial Archives and Museum of Justice.After retiring in 2023, he returned to legal practice and was designated Senior Advocate by the Supreme Court.
Zambian jurist Florence Mumba, who joins him on the panel, brings decades of experience including her service as Judge and Vice-President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, and her role in drafting international provisions recognising rape as a war crime.
Australian human-rights lawyer Chris Sidoti has advised multiple UN bodies and national human-rights institutions and previously served as Australian Human Rights Commissioner.The Commission will submit annual reports to both the UN Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly, continuing its investigations amid intense global scrutiny and ongoing political debate over accountability in the Israel–Palestine conflict.
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