Sir Rabinder Singh, son of an Indian immigrant from Delhi, has reached one of the highest ranks achieved by a non-white judge in Britain. The community which has a total population of 432,439 in the UK, has cheered for his achievement and many have shared their pride on social media. Many have also compared his achievements to Sir Mota Singh's, who was the first ethnic minority judge in England, appointed in 1982. Popularly known as Mr Justice Singh, Rabinder was born on 6 March 1964 as a Sikh, wears a white turban on the bench and is one of seven judges, including one woman, promoted to the Court of Appeal.
His appointment comes as Baroness Hale of Richmond was confirmed in the UK’s highest judicial post, president of the Supreme Court. She is the first woman to hold the post.
Sir Rabinder Singh, 53, was born in 1964 in Delhi to a Sikh family who came to the UK and settled in a working class area of Bristol. He was awarded a local authority scholarship to Bristol Grammar School, deciding early on that he would like to be a barrister. He studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, and the University of California, Berkeley. As he could not afford to study for the Bar, he lectured at Nottingham University before winning a scholarship from the Inns of Court. He was called to the Bar in 1989 and became a Queen’s Council (QC) in 2002.
He has formerly been an English High Court Judge of the Queen's Bench division, previously a barrister, a founding member of Matrix Chambers and a legal academic.
Singh undertook pupillage at the barristers' chambers 4–5 Gray's Inn Square where he became a tenant in 1990. 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. Soon after he was made a tenant, Cherie Booth (Blair) QC also joined 4–5 Grays Inn Square as a tenant from another set. From 1997 to 2002 Singh was Additional Junior Counsel to the Inland Revenue.
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.
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. In 2004 he became a Recorder (part-time judge) of the Crown Court. His appointment as a judge of the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court was announced in 2011.
According to Legal Week in 2011, a Ministry of Justice spokesperson commenting about his High Court appointment said: “The Government wants to create a society of aspiration, where people of ability feel free to aim to reach the highest offices of our country, regardless of their background, race or gender. The appointment of Mr Rabinder Singh QC, a talented and highly respected barrister, to the High Court, represents a real landmark in the drive to create a more diverse judiciary which continues to attract the highest quality candidates.”
In 2000 Singh was appointed by the then Foreign Secretary Robin Cook as 'Independent Monitor for Entry Clearance' between October 2000 and November 2002. The position was established in 1993 and required 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 made 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 and UK, suggesting any improvements he thinks is necessary. Singh was the second person to hold the job – his predecessor was Dame Elizabeth Anson. 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.
Dr Rami Ranger CBE, who is a well known entrepreneur from the community as well as a great philanthropist, working tirelessly for the community has told Asian Voice, “The appointment of Judge Sir Rabinder Singh QC to the Court of Appeal as the first of Indian origin is a matter of pride for every Indian and in particular for the Sikhs.
“Needless to say, Judge Sir Ravinder Singh has proved that we Indians can reach any height by competing with the best in the world.
“Achievements of Sir Rabinder are even more more remarkable given his humble origin. It just goes to prove that one can achieve everything in Britain by being loyal and positive. Our upbringing in a secular and democratic India has also helped us to integrate in any country easily and smoothly.
“It is no surprise that Indians are heading many blue chip companies including PepsiCo, Microsoft, MasterCard, Google, Deutsche Bank. Adobe etc.”
Jasvir Singh OBE, Chairman, City Sikhs Network said, “It's wonderful to see the levels of diversity improving in the highest positions in the judiciary. There is still some way to go, but Mr Justice Singh's appointment along with that of Baroness Hale as President of the Supreme Court are good first steps.”
The Sikh Council of UK also congratulated Justice Singh for his appointment as the first judge in court of appeal as a Dastaar wearing Sikh. Jagtar Singh Gill, Secretary General Elect of Sikh Council UK told Asian Voice, "We commend Mr Justice Singh on his appointment and wish him all the best in his new role, there is a genuine sense of pride amongst the Sikh Community. This also ties into the recent historical parliamentary elections that welcomed the first turban wearing Sikh as MP and also a Sikh female as MP."
