IN December 2021, high court justices Nicola Davies and Pushpinder Saini have rejected India’s appeal to extradite terror suspect Kuldeep Singh.

Singh alias Keepa Sidhu was charged with conspiring with others to commit terror activities in Punjab dating back to 2015-2016, including a plot to assassinate then chief minister and deputy chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and Sukhbir Singh Badal, respectively. “The District Judge’s comprehensive and clearly reasoned judgment cannot be faulted,” justices Davies and Saini said in their judgment. “There are no grounds upon which it would be appropriate for this court to interfere with the discretion exercised by the district judge.”

Saini was appointed as a high court judge following an open competition run by the Judicial Appointments Commission on 1 October 2019. He was assigned to the Queen’s Bench Division. He is considered as one of the top legal experts in the media and entertainment sector. Earlier in 2021, he ruled that Al Arabiya news channel, allegedly controlled by the Saudi Royal family, can appeal a decision that Qatar Airways Suit over a ‘malicious’ news story should be heard in England and not the United Arab Emirates.

Human rights is one area where he secured landmark judgments that contributed to the development of law. European Court of Human Rights ordering Turkey to pay monetary damages to Cyprus for human rights violations is one such case. This was the first instance the court awarding a just satisfaction in an inter-state case.

The Catherine Smith proceedings in the Supreme Court concerning the extra-territorial application of the European Convention of Human Rights is his another major case that made a far-reaching impact on law and the society, particularly soldiers.

He is also known for his deft handling of cases where commercial disputes, his another specialism, and human rights law overlap.