Listen to this article:

New Delhi: Four days after South African jurist Navanethem “Navi” Pillay was awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, the Narendra Modi government had yet to issue a publicly congratulatory message, despite her Indian Tamil ancestry, her family’s historical connection to the indentured labour system that took thousands of Indians to colonial plantations in Africa, and, most importantly, New Delhi’s eagerness to celebrate the accomplishments of overseas Indians.

Pillay, 85, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on October 9 for her efforts to promote peace and international law. Her life and work have been spent fighting genocide and apartheid.

She served as a judge of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda from 1995 to 2003, including four years as its president, and as a judge of the International Criminal Court from 2003 to 2012.

From 2008 to 2014, she was the UN high commissioner for human rights.

More recently, she chaired the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory which concluded in September 2025 that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza. The commission’s findings were seen around the world as authoritative and credible, though Israel, predictably, dismissed them.

The Israeli government was quick to denounce the selection of Pillay for the globe’s foremost peace prize, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claiming the Norwegian Nobel Committee had “lost its moral compass.” He also described Pillay as “the woman who propagated the demonization of Jews”.

The Wire has asked the Ministry of External Affairs whether the Indian government intends to congratulate Pillay on the award but has yet to receive a response.

Pillay’s achievement has been celebrated in Tamil Nadu, with Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and other political leaders extending congratulations.

An uncomfortable fit with India’s Israel policy?

Since 2014, the Modi government has been more visibly aligned with Tel Aviv than any of its predecessors. India’s response to Israel’s devastating military operations in Gaza has drawn scrutiny from human rights advocates, particularly after the scale of civilian deaths and destruction became apparent.

As Marcy Newman recently noted, India manufactures weapons components........

© The Wire