Judgment of 12 April 1960

Document Number
032-19600412-JUD-01-00-EN
Document Type
Incidental Proceedings
Date of the Document
Document File
Bilingual Document File

INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE

REPORTS OF JUDGMENTS,

ADVISORY OPINIONS AND ORDERS

CASE CONCERNING
RIGHT OF PASSAGE OVER

INDIAN TERRITORY

(PORTUGAL v.INDIA)
MERITS

JUDGMENT OF 12APRIL 1960

COUR INTERNATIONALE DE JUSTICE

RECUEIL DES ARRÊTS,
AVIS CONSULTATIFS ET ORDONNANCES

AFFAIRE DU

DROIT DE PASSAGE
SUR TERRITOIRE INDIEN
(PORTUGAL c. INDE)

FOND

ARRÊT DU 12 AVRIL 1960 This Judgment should be cited as follows:
"Case concerningRight of Passage over Indian Territory (Me,its)
Jz~dgrnento12 April 1960: I.C.J. Report1960, p. 6."

Le présent arrêt doit êtrecité comme suit
(Afaire du droit de passage sur territoire indien (fond),
Arrêtdu 12 avril1960:C. I. J. Recuei1960,p. 6.»

Sales number
NOde vente: 226 1 INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE

12April
General List: YEAR 1960
NO.32
12Aprii1960

CASE CONCERNING

RIGHT OF PASSAGE OVER

INDIAN TERRITORY

(PORTUGAL v. INDIA)
MERITS

Jurisdiction of Court.-ûptional Clause.-Declaration of acceptanceof
+risdiction of Court.-Reservation of disputes as to mattersfalling within
domesticjurisdiction.-Jurisa dieftesubjectto reservationratione
temporis.-"Disputes" an"facts or situations" subseqspecified
date.
Mer2ts.-Judicial determinationof right c1aimed.-Maratha period.-
British and post-British periods.-Practice acceptedas law by Parties.-

Localcustom.-Question of right of passagein respectof private persons,
civil oficials, goodsin general, armedforces,armed police,and arms and
ammunition.-Exercise of powerof regulationand controlby Sovereignof
intervening territory.

JUDGMENT

Present:PresidentKLAESTA ;D Vice-PresidenZAFRULLAKHAN ;

Judges BASDEVANT ,ACKWORTH W, INIARSKI,BADAWI,
ARMAND-UGON,KOJEVNIKOV, MORENO QUINTANA,
CORDOVAW , ELLINGTON KOO, SPIROPOULOS S,irPercy
SPENDER; Judges ad hoc CHAGLA and FERNANDES;
Depzcty-RegzstrGARNIER-COIGNET.

4 In the case concerning right of passage over Indian territory,

between

the Republic of Portugal,
represented by

Dr. Jo5.ode Barros Ferreira da Fonseca, Ambassador of Portugal
at The Hague,
as Agent,

and by
Professor Inocêncio Galv5.o Telles, Director of the Faculty of
Law in the University of Lisbon, Member of the Upper House,
as Agent, Advocate and Counsel,

assisted by
M. Maurice Bourquin, Professor of the Faculty of Law in the
University of Geneva and in the Graduate Institute of Inter-
national Studies,

as Advocate and Counsel,
and by

M. Guilherme Braga da Cruz, Director of the Faculty of Law in
the University of Coimbra, Member of the Upper House,
M. Pierre Lalive d'Épinay, Professor of the Faculty of Law in
the University of Geneva,
M. Joaquim Moreira da Silva Cunha, Professor of the Faculty of
Law in the University of Lisbon, Member of the Upper House,

as Counsel,
and by

M. Henrique Martins de Carvalho, Counsellor for Overseas
Affairs at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs,
M. Alexandre Marques Lobato, Secretary of the Centre for Over-
seas Historical Studies,

M. Jo5.ode Castro Mendes, Assistant in the Faculty of Law in the
University of Lisbon,
as Experts,
and by

M. José de Oliveira Ascens5.0,Assistant in the Faculty of Law
in the University of Lisbon,
M. Carlos Macieira Ary dos Santos, Secretary of the Embassy of
Portugal at The Hague,

M.Antonio Leal da Costa Lobo, Secretary of Legation,
as Secretaries,
5 and

the Republic of India,
represented by
Shri M. C. Setalvad, Attorney-General of India,
as Agent and Counsel,

assisted by
Maître Henri Rolin, Professor of International Law in the Free
University of Brussels, Advocate, Member of the Belgian
Senate,

The Rt. Hon. Sir Frank Soskice, Q.C., M.P., former Attorney-
General of England,
M. Paul Guggenheim, Professor of International Law of the Law
Faculty in the University of Geneva and in the Graduate
Institute of International Studies,
Professor C. H. M. Waldock, C.M.G., O.B.E., Q.C., Chichele
Professor of Public International Law in the University of
Oxford,

Mr. J.G. Le Quesne, Member of the English Bar,
asCounsel,
and by

Shri Vasant Govind Joshi,
Shri Vishwanath Govind Dighe,
Shri Vithal Tnmbak Gune,
Shri Leofredo Agenor de Gouvea Pinto,

Shri Ram Swarup Bhardwaj, from the GoaResearch Unit, Ministry
of External Affairs,
Shri Joao Francisco Caraciolo Cabral, of the Legal Department,
High Commission of India, London,
as Expert Advisers,

and by
Shri J. M. Mukhi, Legal Adviser in the Ministry of Extemal
Affairs,
as Assistant Agent and Secretary,

composed as above,

deliversthe followingJudgment :
By its Judgment of 26 November 1957 ,he Court rejected four
of six Preliminary Objections raised by the Government of India
to the jurisdiction of the Court to entertain an Application insti-

6tuting proceedings by the Government of Portugal, filed on
22 December 1955, and joined the Fifth and the Sixth Objections
to the merits.

At the same time the Court ordered the resumption of the pro-
ceedings on the merits and fixed time-limitsfor the further plead-
ings. Requests for the extension of these time-limits were granted
by Orders of IO February 1958, 28 August 1958, 6 November 1958
and 17 January 1959, and the Counter-Memorial, Reply and
Rejoinder were filed within the time-limits so fixed. The case
became ready for hearing on the filing of the last pleading on
5 February 1959.
The Court included on the Bench Mr. Mahomed Ali Currim
Chagla, Ambassador of India to the United States and Mexico and
Minister of India to Cuba, and M. Manuel Fernandes, Director-
General of the Ministry of Justice of Portugal and a member of
the International Relations Section of the Upper House, who had
respectively been chosen by the Government of India and the

Government of Portugal, in accordance with Article 31, paragraph 3,
of the Statute, to sit as Judges ad hoc.
Public hearings were held on 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 28, 29 and
30 September, on 1, 2,3, 5, 6, g,10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20,
21,24,26,27,28,29,30 and 31 October, and on 3,4,5 and 6 Novem-
ber 1959. At these hearings the Court heard oral arguments and
replies by M. Galvii? Telles, M. Bourquin, M. Braga da Cruz,
M. Pierre Lalive d'Epinay and M. Moreira da Silva Cunha, on
behalf of the Government of Portugal, and by Shri Setalvad,
MeRolin,Sir Frank Soskice, M. Guggenheim and Professor Waldock,
on behalf of the Government of India.
In the course of the written and oral proceedings the following
Submissions were presented bythe Parties :

On behalf of the Government of Portugal,

in the Application:

"May it please the Court,
(a) To recognize and declare that Portugal is the holder or bene-
ficiary of a right of passage between its territory of Dam50 (littoral
Damgo) and its enclaved territories of Dadra and Nagar-Aveli, and
between each of the latter, and that this right comprises the faculty
of transit for persons and goods, including armed forces or other
upholders of law and order, without restrictions or difficulties and
in the manner and to the extent required by the effective exercise
of Portuguese sovereignty in the said territories.
(b) To recognize and declare that India has prevented and con-
tinues to prevent the exercise of the right in question, thus com-
mitting an offenceto the detriment of Portuguese sovereignty over
the enclaves of DadrA and Nagar-Aveli and violating its inter-
national obligations deriving from the above-mentioned sources
and from any others, particularly treaties, which may be applicable. (c) To adjudge that India should put an immediate end to this
de facto situation by allowing Portugal to exercise the above-men-
tioned right of passage in the conditions herein set out."

In the Mernorial:
"May it please the Court,

I.To adjudge and declare:
(a) that Portugal has a right of passage through the territory of
India in order to ensure communications between its territory of
Daman (coastal Daman) and its enclaved territories of Dadra and
Nagar-Aveli ;
(b) that this right comprises the transit of persons and goods, as
well as the passage of representatives of the authorities and of

armed forces necessary to ensure the full exercise of Portuguese
sovereignty in the territories in question.
2.To adjudge and declare:
(a) that the Government of India must respect that right;

(b) that it must therefore abstain from any act capable of ham-
pering or impeding its exercise;
(c) that neither may it allow such acts to be carried out on its
territory ;
3. To adjudge and declare that the Governmeiit of India has acted
and continues to act contrary to the obligations recalled above;

4. To cal1 upon the Government of India to put an end to this
unlawful state of affairs."
As final Submissions filedon 6 October 1959:

"1.-Submissions relating to the Claims of Portugal
Whereas the claim of the Portuguese Government is designed to
secure: I. Recognition of the right possessed by Portugal to pass
over Indian territory to the extent necessary for the exercise of its
sovereignty over the enclaves of Dadra and Nagar-Aveli; 2. A
finding of India's failure to respect the obligation binding upon it
asthe result of that right.

A. As to Portugal's right of transit
Whereas the territories of Dadra and Nagar-Aveli, which are
undeniably under the sovereignty of Portugal, are wholly enclaved

within the territory of the Union of India;
Whereas the exercise of Portuguese sovereignty over these
territorieswould therefore be impossible if Portugal were not
assured of being able to communicate with them by passing over
the few kilometres of Indian territory separating them one from
another and from the coastal district of Daman;
Whereas the claim of India to possess in this connection a dis-
cretionary power is manifestly incompatible with that necessity;

Whereas indeed such a claim would entitle India to oppose the
communications of Portugal with its enclaves on grounds of which
8 India would be the sole judge and whenever India considered that
its convenience or its interests led it to adopt such an attitude;

Whereas the international legal system is essentially based upon
mutual respect of sovereignties ;
Whereas the Union of India has unequivocally recognized the
sovereignty of Portugal over the two enclaves just as indeed it had
been recognized by the previous sovereigns of the Indian territory;

Whereas, by that recognition, the Union of India and its prede-
cessors admitted that the existence of the two Portuguese enclaves
within Indian territory was a part of the legal system and undertook
to respect that situation;
Whereas, in order to justify the discretionary power which the
Union of India claims to possess in respect of Portuguese transit,
it would be necessary to accept that, while recognizing the sover-

eignty of Portugal over the enclaves, it tacitly reserved a right at
its will to render impossible the exercise of that sovereignty;
Whereas such a reservation cannot logically be admitted and would
be contrary to the elementary requirements of good faith;

Whereas the right claimed by Portugal is moreover confirmed by
the agreements which it formerly concluded with the Marathas, by
local custom and by general custom, as well as by the concordance of
municipal legal systems with respect to access to enclaved land;

Whereas, indeed, the above-mentioned agreements cannot be
construed otherwise than as granting to Portugal the right of pas-
sage necessary for the exercise of the powers which those agreements
conferred upon it in the enclaves;

Whereas, furthermore, in the relations between Portugal and the
successive sovereigns of the territories adjoining the enclaves there
was established and consolidated in the course of nearly two cen-
turies, an unbroken practice in respect of the maintenance of the
indispensable communications between coastal Daman and the
enclaves; and whereas that practice was based, on the part of al1
concerned, on the conviction that what was involved was a legal
obligation (ofiiniojuris sive necessitatis;
Whereas general custom likewise fully confirms the right claimed

by Portugal; whereas the practice of States reveals no disagreement
in this' connection; whereas, while. the conditions of the exercise
of the right of passage naturally Vary according to the circumstances,
the right of the sovereign of the enclave to have with the enclave
the communications necessary for the exercise of sovereignty is
universally admitted, and whereas it would be impossible to contend
that that unanimity and uniformity do not bear witness to a con-
viction of the existence of a legal duty(ofiinioiuris sive necessitati;)
Whereas, lastly, the municipal laws of the civilized nations are
unanimous in recognizing that the holder of enclaved land has a
right, for purposes of access to it, to pass through adjoining land;
whereas it is rare to find a principle more clearly emerging from the

universal practice of States in foro domestico and more perfectlymeeting the requirements of Article 38, paragraph I (c), of the
Statute of the Court ;
Whereas each of the titles invoked by Portugal would in itself be
sufficient to justify the right which it is claiming and whereas these
titles reinforce each other and their coexistence reveals the solidity
of their common basis;
Whereas Portugal is in no sense claiming a right of access to

Indian territory, but merely a right of transit, designed to assure
the communications between the enclaves themselves and between
the enclaves and the coastal district of Daman ;
Whereas this right of transit is claimed only to the extent neces-
sary for the exercise of Portuguese sovereignty over the enclaves;

Whereas in claiming this right Portugal in no way disputes that
sovereignty over the territory, through which transit must be effect-
ed, belongs exclusively to India; whereas it is in no way claiming to
be entitled to withdraw persons or goodsin transit from the exercise

of that sovereignty, and does not directly or indirectly seek for
them any immunity ;
Whereas the transit forming the subject-matter of its claim
therefore remains subject to the regulation and control of India,
which must exercise these by taking, in good faith and on its own
responsibility, the necessary decisions;
Whereas Portugal merely asserts that the territorial competence
of India is not in this respect a discretionary competence, since
India is obliged, on its own responsibility, not to prevent the
transit necessary for the exercise of Portuguese sovereignty in the
enclaves ;

\lThereas the Indian Government contends that the subject-
matter of the Portuguese claim is too vague for the Court to be able
to pass upon it bythe application only of the legal rules enumerated
in Article 38, paragraph 1,of the Statute; whereas, however, that
contention fails to stand up to examination;
Whereas, indeed, the riles of international law referred to in
paragraph I of Article38 are far frorn necessarily requiring greater
precision than those upon which the Portuguese Government relies,
which are recalled above;

For these reasons,
May it please the Court

To adjudge and declare
that the right of passage between the enclaves of Dadra and Nagar-
Aveli and between these enclaves and the coastal district of Daman,
as defined above, is a right possessed by Portugal and which must
be respected by India.

B. As to thefailure of India to respectits obligatioîz
Whereas the attitude of the Indian Government with regard to
Portuguese transit changed in the last months of the year 1953,
after Portugal's refusal to accede to the request for the cession of
its territories in India (Rejoinder, paragraph 417 ) Whereas this change was marked in the first instance by a series
of restrictions which, while not immediately rendering impossible
the exercise of Portuguese sovereignty in the enclaves, undeniably
gravely impeded it and were such as to be liable to paralyse it com-
pletely if exceptional events occurred which obliged Portugal to
take rapid measures to ensure the maintenance of order at Dadra
and Nagar-Aveli (Memorial, Annex 40) ;

Whereas the threat of action directed against the Portuguese
ernment was unaware; whereas the imminence of that action hadn Gov-
moreover been publicly announced on many occasionsand in partic-
ular on 2 July 1954,in a manifesto, adopted at Bombay by perçons
directing anti-Portuguese groups, which was reproduced in the
Indian Press (Indian Annex A. No. 7) ;

Whereas it was clearlyincumbent upon the Indian Government to
take the measures which lay in its power to prevent the realization
of such a design (Judgrnent of the Court of 9 Aprjl1949, in the Corfu
Channel Case,Reports,p. 22) ;
Whereas the Indian Government took no such measures but, on
the contrary, did not hesitate still further to weaken Portugal's
capacity for resistance against the danger which threatened it, by
increasing the restrictions placedupon transit (Note from the Consul-
General of India at Goa, dated 17 July 1954, notifying the Portu-
guese Governor-General of a series of immediate measures, including
in particular a prohibition of the transport of munitions and military
equipment-Memorial, Annex 47) ;
Whereas a week elapsed between the occupation of Dadra (during
the night 21/22 July) andthe expedition against Nagar-Aveliwhich,
having been begun on 29 July, was completed only in August;
Whereas after the occupation of Dadra, there could be no doubt
that a similar action would be undertaken against Nagar-Aveli, the
larger of the two Portuguese enclaves;

Whereas moreover, as early as 23 July, the President of the
so-called 'United Front of Goans' and leader of the expedition
against Dadra, publicly announced that this would take place and
thatthe action would be begun as soon as the necessary preparations
were completed (Observations on the Preliminary Objections,
Annex 1, Appendix 2) ;
Whereas the Indian Government took no step to prevent that
second expedition ;
Whereas, so far from thus performing itsduty towards Portugal,
it firmly opposed al1communications of Portugalwith the enclaves;

Whereas, while the Parties are in disagreement on the question
whether communications between Daman and the enclaves had
been completely cut beforethe operation against Dadra, it is in any
event certain that the isolation of the two enclaves had become
complete immediately after the occupation of Dadra and before the
expedition against Nagar-Aveli; Whereas, as from that time no further transit visa was granted,
either to Portuguese or to persons in the service of the Portuguese
Government, for the purpose of going to Dadra or to Nagar-Aveli
(Counter-Memorial, paragraph 211) ;

Whereas on 24 July the Portuguese Government requested the
necessary transit facilities for the despatch of reinforcements to
Dadra (Memorial,Annex 50); whereas on 26 July, while confirming
the earlier request, it asked that a few delegates of the Governor of
Daman (if necessary limited to three) should be enabled to go to
Nagar-Aveli, in order to enter into contact with the population,
examine the situation, and take the necessary measures on the spot
(Memorial, Annex 5 1);

Whereas, in a note of 28 July, the Government of India refused
these two requests (Memorial,Annex 52) ;
Whereas, at that time, the occupation of Nagar-Aveli existed only
as a threat and whereas it is consequently established that before

any occupation of the enclave, Portugal found itself completely cut
off from the enclave as a result exclusively of the will of India;
Whereas the attitude adopted by India is thus in two respects
contrary to the duty imposed upon it by international law, since
instead of protecting Portugal against the unlawful enterprise with
which the latter was threatened, it placed Portugal in a situation
in which it was impossible for that State to defend itself against
that enterprise;

~herea;, since that date, the prohibitions imposed by India
in respect of Portu'guese transit have been maintained without
exception, thus enabling those who profited by them to consolidate
their position in the enclaves;
For these reasons,

May it please the Court
To adjudge and declare
- -
that India has not complied with the obligations incumbent
upon it by virtue of Portugal's right of passage.

II.-Submissions relating to the various arguments propounded by
the Indian Governmentas to the egect of the present circumstances on
the exerciseof the right ûfpassage

Whereas India contends, in the event of the right of passage
claimed by Portugal being upheld by the Court, that that right
cannot be exercised in the present circumstances;

Whereas, if this contention were well-founded, its only effect could
in any case be to suspend temporarily, and to the extent necessary,
the exercise of the right of passage, without affecting the existence
of that right itself ;
Whereas it is clearly for India to establish the basis for its con-
tention;

Whereas India asserts that the present situation is characterized
by a general insurrection of the population of the enclaves; whereas,however, thisinterpretation of the facts, whichis formally challenged
by Portugal, is far from findingconfirmation in the evidencesupplied
by the Indian Government and whereas this interpretation, on the
contrary, runs counter to a number of factors which render that
interpretation improbable;
Whereas, furthermore, even if the existence of an insurrectional

movement were established, the legal consequences which India
seeks to deduce therefrom would nonetheless be devoid offoundation;
Whereas Portugal has never renounced its sovereignty over the
enclaves and whereas it was, from the very beginning, prevented
from taking in the enclaves the measures necessary for the restora-
tion of order;

Whereas if Portugal's action has thus been paralysed it is because
India has opposed it by depriving the Portuguese authorities of all
communication with the enclaves;
Whereas India is therefore not entitled in any case to impair,
in any form, the right ofsovereignty which belongs to Portugal alone;

Whereas it is in the light of this fundamental observation that
it is necessary to examine the various arguments propounded bythe
Indian Government in support of its contention that the exercise of
the right of passage ought to be suspended in the present circum-
stances ;

A. As to India's right to adopt an attitude of neutralityin the conflict
betweenthe lawful Governmentand the allegedinsurgents

Whereas there has been no recognition of belligerency in the
present case ;

Whereas, in the absence of such recognition, no obligation of
neutrality is incumbent upon third States, and whereas, if thelatter
are entitled in such cases, in order to safeguard their interests, to
take certain measures analogous to those provided for bythe regime
of neutrality, what is then involved is in any event only a right
and not a legal duty ;
Whereas India could not avail itself of that right for the purpose
of evading the obligations binding upon it as a result of Portugal's
right of passage; and whereas any conflict between that right and
those obligations could only be resolved in favour of the obligations;

Whereas, moreover, the very concept of neutrality can clearly
only apply in a case of conflict between the lawful Government
and the insurgents if the State relying thereon is not involved in
that conflict ;
Whereas this is certainly not so in the present case, since the
cause of the so-called insurgents is merged with that of India, their
efforts being directed, through different means, to the achievement
of one and the same end, namely, the incorporation of the enclaves
in the territory of the Indian Union;

Whereas, while the sympathy felt by a State for one or the other
of two adversaries does not prevent that State from adopting an16 RIGHT OF PASSAGE OVER INDIAN TERRITORY (JUDGM. 12 IV 60)
attitude of neutrality in the confict between them, the position is
not the same when the design pursued by one of them forms an
integral part ofthe policy openly practised bythe said State; whereas
it is indeed impossible to be neutral in one's own cause;
Whereas India cannot therefore justify a suspension of the exer-
cise of the right of passage by the argument based on its alleged
neutrality;

B. As totheapplicationoftheprovisionsof the UnitedNations Charter
relating to human rights and to theright of self-determinationof
peoples
Whereas in cases of insurrection the rights and obligations of
foreign Statesin relation to the lawful Government are governed by
a body of rules which form a part of general international law and
whereas India is under a further obligation in relation to Portugal,
which is binding upon it as a result of Portugal's right of passage;
Whereas India contends that the legal regime thus determined is
modified by Articles 1,55, 56 and 62 of the United Nations Charter,
in the sense that these Articles lay upon it an obligation to 'abstain
from action which is diametrically opposed to the whole purpose
and spirit of those Articles' (Rejoinder, paragraph 640) ;
Whereas the terms in which this assertion is couched disclose the
uncertainty felt by India itself with regard to the exact scope of its
argument ;
Whereas India recognizes moreover that the principles of the
Charter to which it has referred can be regarded as ethical principles
and not as legal principles and whereas India seeks, on the other
hand, to disregard, in so far as these principles are concerned, the
provisions of Article 38, paragraph 1, of the Statute of the Court
(Rejoinder, paragraph 641) ;
Whereas these considerations would, if necessary, sufficeto dispose
of its contention,since the Parties to the present dispute have only
accepted the compulsory jurisdiction of the Court subject to the
conditions laid down in the Statute of the Court;

Whereas, however, the provisions of Articles 1, 55, 56 and 62
now before the Court; Charter arenot at al1involved in the dispute

Whereas while Portugal has a legitimate desire to restore the
order which has been disturbed by the violent action of hostile
elements which penetrated into the enclaves in 1954, it does not
propose in any way to disregard the duties laid upon it by the
United Nations Charter;
Whereas on the other hand, the Indian Government, whilst
relying on these Articles in refusing to allow Portugal to exercise
its right of passage, does not hesitate to declare that, in the event
of the populations concemed opting in favour of the maintenance
of Portuguese sovereignty, India would not be disposed to tolerate
India before the Rajya Sabha-Observations955by theon the Preliminary
Objections, Annex 1, Appendix 4, p. 16), which constitutes the very
negation of the right of self-determination of peoples ;

14C. As to theargument thatthe existencein theenclavesof a $rovisional
de facto loctrlgovernment,whichis not representedbeforetheCou.rt,
deharsthe Court from adjudicating,in the present circumstances,
on thePortugueseclaim

Whereas this argument can find no basis either in the Statute
of the Court or in the declarations by which the Parties have accept-
ed its compulsory jurisdiction; whereas these declarations contain a
exclusively confined to those expressed, none of which relates to the
contingency now contemplated by India;

Whereas, nevertheless, to justify its contention, India invokes
the principle applied by the Court in its Judgment of 15 June 1954
in the case concerning MonetcaryGoldremovedfrom Rome;
Whereas this is the principle which makes the jurisdiction of the
Court dependent upon the consent of the States concerned; whereas
this is indeed a fundamental principle which is manifestly embodied
in the Statute; whereas, however, this principle is entirely irrelevant
to the present case;
Whereas the Court is not called upon to adjudicate upon an
international dispute to which the alleged de facto government of
the enclaves is a party and in respect of which the Court cannot
therefore exercise jurisdiction without that de facto government's
consent ;

Whereas it is not sufficient, to prevent the Court from exercising
jurisdiction, that the dispute before it should interest a third party
and thatthat third party should not be represented before the Court,
even if that third party be a State;
Whereas, not only can the alleged de facto government of the
enclaves not be regarded on any ground asthe organ of a State but it
does not even possess intemational legal personality ;

Whereas it constitutes no more than a provisional de facto ad-
ministration ; and whereas such an administration possesses no legal
personality on the international plane so long as that administration
has not been recognized;

event of recognition exists only to theonextent that such recognition
has granted it;

Whereas the Government of India purports to have recognized the
present administration of the enclaves as a provisional defacto
administration, but whereas this declaration, made for the first time
in the Counter-Memorial, is incompatible with the declaration which
appears at paragraph 16 of the Preliminary Objections to the effect
that the Govemment of India had not up to that time had any
relations with that administration; whereas the alleged recognition
was therefore subsequent to the filing of the Preliminary Objections
(April 1957) ;whereas it was even subsequent to the oral argument
which took place before the Court on those Preliminary Objections
from 23 September to II October 1957; Whereas this allegedrecognition would be an implicit recognition;
whereas it wouldonly have been given external manifestation-apart
from the assertions made in the Counter-Memorial and in the
Rejoinder-by contacts wirh local officialswith regard to such day-
to-day matters of administration as police, posts, transport,
etc.-which contacts are expressed to have been limited to the
indispensable minimum (Counter-Memorial, paragraph 353) ;

Whereas it is difficult to confer upon such contacts the status
of recognition;
Whereas that recognition, on the assumption that it was given,
could onlyhave an extremely limited legal scope; whereas its effects
would belimited to India's relations with the local administration in
the matters for which these contacts were made; whereas such
recognition can certainly not be invoked as against Portugal and
cannot in any way affect either Portugal's right of passage or the
jurisdiction of the Court in the dispute which has been regularly
brought before it;

Whereas, furthermore, this alleged recognition would only follow
from a change in India's intentions after the argument of the Preli-
minary Objections, and whereas a party to a dispute is certainlynot
entitled to modify during the course of the proceedings and to the
detriment of the other party, by a mere manifestation ofwiU, the
conditions in which the dispute presents itself;
Whereas therefore viewed from any angle, the argument that the
Court is prevented in the present case from discharging the judicial
function conferred iipon it, on the pretext that the Court is not open
to the provisional de facto adminisiration of the enclaves, must be

rejected as devoid of foimdation;

D. As to theargurnentthat theexerciseof therightofpassagebyPortu-
gal would involve, under the present circumstances,gravedangers
to India's public order and that India is therefore entitledto
oppose it

Whereas this argument is independent of the assertion that the
events which occurred in the enclaves arnounted to an insurrection
of the local population; whereas this argument is based solely on
India's right to preserve its interna1 order and on the existence of a
danger which is said seriously to threaten that order;

Whereas, asappears from paragraph 388 of the Reply, if by reason
of exceptional circumstances at any given moment the passage of
Portuguese armed forces over the few kilometres of road which lead
from Daman to the enclaves should really appear likely seriously to

disturb the public order of India, by provoking acts of violence on
its territory, Portugal would agree that passage should be tempo-
rarily suspended, to the extent necessary for the preservation of
India's public order;
Whereas the issue is therefore whether the aforementioned con-
ditions which must be satisfied for a suspension of the passage of
armed forces have in fact been fulfilled; Whereas India confines itself to the expression in this connection
of certain apprehensions the basis for which hasnot been established;
Whereas India invokes the risk that the so-called insurgentsmight
push back on to its territory any elements of the Portuguese public
forces sent to the enclaves to restore order there;
Whereas, however, India can easily protect itself against this
contingency; whereas it undeniably has at its disposal the means to
do so; whereas its intemal order could only be exposed to the danger
it refers to if it refrained from utilizinghese means;
Whereas it is the more difficult to agree, in these circumstances,
that its argument has any validity, inasmuch as the prolongation
of the prohibition of pass,agewould have for Portugal consequences
of obvious gravity which Portugal could not possibly avoid;

Whereas, if the Court should nevertheless be of opinion that, in
the present circumstances, the passage of Portuguese armed forces
should be suspended, as stated above, by reason of the danger it
would represent for the interna1 order of India, it is obvious that this
temporary suspension ought to end as soon as the danger justifying
that suspension disappears;
Whereas, for its part, India would naturally have the duty not to
take any meascre which might consolidate the position of the ad-
versaries of the lawful Government in the enclaves; whereas it is
indeed inconceivable that India should take advantage of the sus-
pension in order to further the aggravation or prolongation of the
circumstances relied upon in support of that claim;
For these reasons,

May it please the Court
(a) to hold that the arguments of India set out above under A,
B and C are without foundation;
(b) as to the argument of India set out above under D:

I. If the Court is of opinion that the above-mentioned conditions
which.must be satisfied to justify the suspension of the passage of
Portuguese armed forces are not fulfilled,

To adjudge and declare
That India must end the measures by which it opposesthe exercise
of the right of passage of Portugal;
2. If the Court is of opinion that the above-mentioned conditions
which must be satisfied to justify the suspension of the passage of
Portuguese armed forces are fulfilled,
To adjudge and declare
That the said passage shall be temporarily suspended; but that
this suspension shall end as soon as the course of events discloses
that the justification for the suspension has disappeared;

That during such suspension, India must abstain from any measure
which might strengthen the position of the adversaries of the lawful
Government in the enclaves and thus provoke the aggravation or prolongation of the circumstances relied upon in support of that
suspension ;
That there is no legitimate reason entitling India to ask that the
other forms of the exercise of the right of passage should likewise be
suspended.

III.-Submissions relating to the Prel.iminary Objectionsof Irtdia
A. As to thefifth objection

Whereas the fifth of the Preliminary Objections raised by India
was designed to secure a finding by the Court that the dispute is
not within the Court's jurisdiction on the ground that it relates to a
question which, according to international law, falls exclusively
within the jurisdiction of India, and that the Declaration of 28 Feb-
rof the Court, excludes such disputes from the Court's jurisdiction;

Whereas, by its Judgment of 26 Norember 1957,the Court decided
to join this objection to the merits;
Whereas it is clear from the arguments that Portugal's claim is
based on international law; whereas all the titles relied upon in
respect of that claim fall within the domain of international law;
and whereas the validity of these titles has been fully established;
Whereas the question involved in this dispute is therefore certain-
ly not a question which, according to international law, falls within
the exclusive jurisdiction of India;
For these reasons,

May it please the Court
To dismiss the Objection.

B. As to the sixth objection
Whereas the sixth of the Preliminary Objections raised by India
was designed to secure a finding by the Court that the dispute does
not fall within the jurisdiction of the Court, by virtue of the reser-
vation ratione temporis in the Declaration of 28 Februa-y 1940,
under which India accepted the jurisdiction of the Court in respect of
disputes 'arising afterj February 1930, with regard to situations or
facts subsequent to that date';
Whereas, by its Judgment of 26November 19 57,the Court decided
to join this objection to the merits;
Whereas in the Preliminary Objections of the Indian Government
this objection was solelybased on the second part of the aforemen-
tioned reservation, that Government recognizing that the disputewas
subsequent to 5 February 1930, whilst contending that it related
to situationsor facts prior to that date;
Whereas it was only in the course of the oral argument onthe
Prelirninary Objections, in the Oral Reply ofthe Attorney-General of
India (Oral Proceedings, pp. 213-221) that an objection based on the
first part of the aforementioned reservation was raised, i.e. an
objection based on the ground that the dispute allegedly arose before
5 February 1930;

18 Whereas, quite apart from this consideration, neither the ob-
jection based on the first part of the reservation nor the objection
based on the second part of the reservation, can be accepted;

to 5 February 1930, since the dispute dates from 1954,the year in
which the divergence of views, which constitutes the dispute, arose
between the Portuguese Government and the Indian Govemment;

Whereas furthermore the situations or facts in respect of which
the dispute arose are likewise subsequent to 5 February 1930,since
they also date from 1954;
Whereas these situations or facts are really nothing but those
giving rise to the dispute and, whereas one must regard as such the
situations or facts imputed by the applicant State to the respondent
State as unlawful, i.e. as constituting violations of the respondent
State's international obligations;
Whereas the situations or facts which Portugal imputes to the
Indian Union as unlawful also date from 1954,as has already been
pointed out ;
For these reasons,
May it please the Court

To dismiss the Objection."
Outbehalfof the Governmentof India,

in the Counter-Memorial :
"May it please the Court to declare that it has no jurisdiction to
decide on the claim presented by the Portuguese Government, and,
in the alternative, to declare the claim ill-founded."

As final Submissions filed on 21 October 1959:
"Having regard to the Subrnissions presented at the hearing of
6 October 1959by the Agent for Portugal,
Whereas, by its Judgrnent of 26 November 1957,the Court joined
to the merits the consideration of the Fifth and Sixth Prelirninary
Objections ;

1.-As tothe Fifth Objection
Whereas, if its exarnination of the merits should lead the Court to
a finding that Portugal has not established the existence of the titles
which she has invoked, and that these titles must accordingly be
regarded as non-existent, it must follow that the question of the
grant or refusa1 of the passage claimed over Indian territory falls
exclusively within the domestic jurisdiction of India and that the
dispute is outside the jurisdiction of the Court;
II.-As to theSixth Objection

Whereas the Indian declaration of acceptance of the compulsory
jurisdiction expressly provides that only disputes arising after
5 February 1930and with regard to situations or facts subsequent
to the samedate may be submitted to the jurisdiction of t-heCourt ; Whereas, according to the Subrr~issionsfiled by the Agent for
Portugal on 6October 1959,and the explanations given in the course
of the Oral Proceedings by Counsel for Portugal the object of the
Portuguese claim is (1) recognition of the right which Portugal
claims to possessto pass over Indian territory to the extent necessary
for the exercise of her sovereignty over the enclaves of Dadra and
Nagar-Aveli (2)a finding of India's failure to respect the obligation
binding upon her as the result of that alleged right (3)an injunction
to India that she should re-establish the right of passage or, in the
alternative, in the event of its being found that the exercise of that
right was rightfully suspended in respect of Portuguese armed forces,
to limit the suspension in its scopeand in its duration whilerefraining
from consolidating the situation justifying that suspension;
Whereas the above-mentioned secondand third objects ofthe claim
are manifestly ancillary to the first, their consideration being sub-
ject to the existence of the right of passage defined under (1);

Whereas claims relating to the passage were raised by Portugal
before 5 February 1930 and whereas the situation to which the
titles now invoked by Portugal refer was repeatedly the subject of
difficulties prior to 5 February 1930;

Whereas the dispute referred to the Court by Portugal accord-
ingly fails to satisfy either of the two time conditions to which the
Indian Union made its acceptance of the compulsory jurisdiction
of the Court subject ;

III.-On the merits
A. As to theright claimedand its basis
Whereas the right claimed by Portugal has been presented as a
right of passage relating to private persons and to goods as well as
to officia1organs and armed troops, limited to the needs of the exer-
cise of Portuguese sovereignty and subject to the restrictions and
regulations prescribed by the Indian Union, the sovereign in the
intermediate territory, without any claim by Portugal to any
irnrnunity ;
Whereas the right as thus defined and the correlative obligation
contain such contradiction and lack of precision that their judicial
recognition would appear to be impossible;
whereas in particular the concept of the essential needs for the
maintenance of Portuguese sovereignty does not provide the Parties
with an objective criterion enabling them to arrive at a comrnon
appreciation or making it possible for some arbitral or judicial body
to decide as between them in the event of a divergence of opinion;
whereas moreover it is difficult to see how such a concept of
the requirements of sovereignty could lead to any right of passage
for private persons and goods in whose favour the enjoyment of the
right is however still claimed although the exercise of Portuguese
sovereignty in the enclaves is manifestly paralysed;
wheréas-similarly the statement by Portugal that the right of
passage claimed includes no immunity is incompatible with the23 RIGHT OF PASSAGE OVER INDIAN TERRITORY (JUDGM. 12 IV 60)
character of a State organ which necessarily attaches to armed mili-
tary forces under command passing through foreign territory ;

whereas it is unimaginable that a right of passage can be recog-
nized generally, even within the bits required by the needs of
the applicant State, without any regard to the objections of the
State through which passage is to be effected; whereas in the third
part of her Submissions Portugal indeed recognizes that the interests
times to refuse to permit the exercise of the right claimed; wherease-
thereisnot however any trace ofany such limitation in the definition
proposed which must accordingly be rejected as unacceptable also
on that ground;

Whereas it is self-evident that' a right which is so contradictory
and the content of which is so indeterminate and indeterminable
can find no basis in any of the general or particular titles alleged by
Portugal, that is to say,either in general custom, or in the principles
ofinternational law which can bederivedtherefrom. or in the rreneral
principles of law recognized by civilized States,'or in pa&icular
ameements. orin local custom which. if it exists. must be assimilated
tg the partkular agreements ;
Whereas reliance has wrongly been placed upon the respect due
to the sovereignty of Portugal in the enclaves;
whereas the sovereignty invoked is essentially territorial and
does not in itself involve any right whatsoever upon Indian territory;

Whereas Portugal is equally unfounded in her reliance upon
tainedin a treaty of 1779 negotiated by Portugal with the Maratha-
Empire, or flowing from the attitude of the British or Indian Gov-
ernments between 1818 and 1954;

Whereas the negotiations of 1779 never resulted in an agreement
and whereas the draft treaty in contemplation in any event involved
no transfer of sovereignty ;
Whereas if it is true that sovereignty over the enclaves was
subsequently usurped by Portugal, this could not give rise to àny
right of passage;
Whereas even if this were not the case it has been clearly
est\ablished in the written proceedings that recognition of the fact
of Portuguese sovereignty was never at any time accompanied by
recognition of any obligations whatsoever with regard tothe alleged
right of passage;
whereas from 1818to 1954 the Governments of Great Britain or
ofIndia granted or refused passage as they saw fit;

whereas the particular agreements concluded on this subject with
Portugal in 1819, 1844, 1861, 1879, 1893, 1913, 1920 and 1940were
concluded for a short period, or were revocable, their content being
now proposed by Portugal;ar removed from the definition of the right whereas it accordingly appears that apart from the brief periods
during which these agreements were in force Great Britain and India
retained in respect of passage a discretionary competence without
any sort of limitation;
whereas the course thus adopted by Great Britain and by India
in no way diverged from the usual practice followed by the Gov-
ernments of other States having foreign enclaves within their
territory ;

Whereas, far from revealing the existence of a general customary
rule in conformity with the claims of Portugal relating to a right of
passage, an examination of the practice followed, and in particular
of the agreements which have been concludedon this subject, estab-
lishes the categorical refusa1 of States to be bound by forma1under-
isincluded within the customs regime of theState through whichpas-ve
sage is to be effected, or with regard to the transit of armed forces
at least where those forces exceed a given number, or where the
passage is designed to prevent or to put down political, social or
economic disturbances.

B. As to the violationof the allegedright in Jzcly-Azcgus1954

Whereas the non-existence of the right claimed is sufficient in law
to dispose of the complaint of its violation;
Whereas the Indian Union however desires indignantly to reject
the accusation of having used its discretionary competence, in re-
spect of the passage of Portuguese troops, to assist the overthrowing
of Portuguese power in pursuance of annexationist designs;

Whereas the Indian Government and people have doubtless never
concealed their desire that the Goans should be allowed to join the
Union of Independent India to which they are attached ethnically
and culturally, whereas however the Indian Government has always
said with equal force that that reunion must be achieved without
violence; whereas it is difficult to see why any different attitude
should have been adopted with regard to the enclaves which are of
negligible political and economic importance to India;
Whereas the restrictions imposed by India at the end of 1953
and the beginning of 1954on the passage to the enclaves of Portu-
guese agents are fully explicable on the ground of the determina-
tion of the Government of New Delhi to answer the restrictive
measures adopted by the Goan administration in respect of Indian
nationals, by its concern not to assist the extension to the enclaves
of the reign of terror brought into being in Goa by the Portuguese
authorities to prevent and put down by violence any manifestation
of Indian national sentiment, and by its decisibn to forbid passage
over Indian territory to Portuguese officials who had demonstrated
their contempt for the Asians;

Whereas Portugal likewise wrongly maintains that the Govern-
onn22oJuly 1194;st have foreseen the coup which occurred at Dadra

22 25 RIGHT OF PASSAGE OVER INDIAN TERRITORY (JUDGM. 12 IV 60)

whereas themanifesto of the Goan National Movement of 2 July
which has been relied upon does not in fact contain the slightest
indication to that effect and whereas the Portuguese authorities
refrained from communicating to India any information gathered
on this point by their intelligence services with regard to what was
being prepared;
Whereas the liberation of Dadra was a matter of a few minutes
only, whereas quite naturally it immediately gave rise to a great
stirring ofthe people in the neighbouring enclave ofNagar-Aveli, but
whereas in that enclave the insurgents encountered scarcely any
resistance, the Portuguese authorities having decided on I August
to evacuate the capital, Silvassa, and to withdraw into Indian terri-
tory 'to avoid an encounter';

Whereas once the liberation movement had been begun at Dadra,
the Indian Union was entitled, both in accordance with the principle
of international law of non-intervention and out of regard for the
right of self-determination of peoples recognized by the Charter, to
refuse the Portuguese authorities authorization for the passage of
reinforcements assuming that any had been available;
Whereas finally it is not reasonably possible to describe the events
which occurred in the enclaves as 'invasion' orforeign 'occupation',
when the few individuals, who in fact came from outside to Dadra
and Nagar-Aveli to support the liberation movement, were for the
most part Goans, that is, the compatriots and thekith of the inhab-
itants, whereas the majority of these left the enclaves a few days
after having entered them, whereas the independent administration
which was then constituted and which has since functioned, is in
large part composed of people bom in the enclavesor who have for
a long time resided there, and whereas the sympathies of the inhab-
itants for the nationalist movement had as early as 1931 and on
diverse occasions since then been noted by the Portuguese admini-
strators;
Whereas it follows from the considerations set out above that no
complaint can be made against the Indian Union on the ground of
the use it made of its discretionary competence in refusing passage
over its territory to the agents of the Portuguese State in July1954.

C. As totheclah for an injunction

Whereas this claim implies that since July/August 1954 the Indian
Union has violated its international obligations relating to transit
by refusing Portugal permissionfor the passage over Indian territory
of the armed forces necessary to re-establish her authority in the
enclaves ;
Whereas the reasons indicated above in refutation of the accusa-
tion of violation in respect of the periodJuly/August 1954are suffi-
cient to dispose of the complaint formulated with regard to the
subsequent period;
Whereas moreover even if obligations with regard to passage had
in the past been binding upon India, they should be regarded as
having lapsed as a result of the change which has occurred in the

23 essential circumstances, in particular by reason of the formation at
Silvassa of an independent local administration;
Whereas the existence and the stabilization of that administration
can only have served to reinforce the propriety of the attitude of
non-intervention adopted by India in the conflict between that
administration and Portugal;
Whereas this fact is equally one which must hold the attention
of the Court whose decision would run counter to the interests of
justice if, without a hearing, it were to condemn to extinction the
independent entity which has been constituted;
Whereas finally there can be no doubt that a restoration of the
Portuguese power in the enclaves brought about by force of arms
would encounter desperate resistance on the part of a population
rejoicing in the political, economic, social and cultural progress
which it has enjoyed for five years;
whereas the fighting to which such resistance would give rise
could not fail to extend to the surrounding Indian territory, the
population of which would feel solidarity with the resistance and
whereas this would result in an undoubted threat to the interna1
order and external peace of the Indian Union;
Whereas this situation should in itself suffice according to the
Submissions of Portugal themselves to bring about the rejection of
the claim for an injunction;

D. As to the alternativedaim for an injzlnction
Whereas in the absence of the re-establishment of the alleged
right of passage relating to armed forces, Portugal claims:
(a) that the suspension of the alleged right be declared to be limited
to the continuation of the situation justifying it;
(b) that India be prohibited from taking any action which might
strengthen the position of the adversaries of the Portuguese
regime in the enclaves,
(c) th& the suspension of the alleged right of passage be limited
to the armed forces,
Whereas none of these claims would appear to be justified;

(a) by the Court which shouldhe at the same time declare its exercise
to be suspended, it is difficult to see any point in accepting the
temporary character of that situation since it would appear
to be impossible to foresee and to define the various events
capable of putting an end to it;
(b) whereas it would likewise appear to be inadmissible to seek by
means of a judicial decision to prevent inperpetuity any evolution
of the situation in a sense unfavourable to the restoration of
the Portuguese regime or to regulate the relationships which the
Indian Union inevitably has with the population and the admin-
istration of enclaves integrated in its economic system;
(c) whereas finally the concern manifested by Portugal with regard
to the passage of private persons and of goods-more than ever
unconnected with the exercise of a sovereignty recognized to be paralysed-would appear to be all the less justified inasmuch
as the regulation of the passage of goodshas not undergone any
change and that the passage of private persons encounters no
impedirnentsave those brought about by the Portuguese author-
ities at Daman.
For these reasons and ail others advanced in the pleadings and
oral arguments submitted by the Indian Union

May it please the Court
To hold that it is without jurisdiction
In the alternative
to hold that the claim is unfounded."

The present dispute was referred to the Court by an Application
filed on 22 December 1955.
In that Application the Govemment of the Portuguese Republic
states that the territory of Portugalin the Indian Peninsula is made
up of the three districts of Goa, Daman and Diu. It adds that the

district of Daman comprises, in addition to its littoral territory,
two parcels of territory completely surrounded by the temtory of
InPa which constitute enclaves: Dadra and Nagar-Aveli. It is in
respect of the communications between these enclaves and Daman
and between each other that the question arises of a right of passage
in favour of Portugal through Indian territory, and of a correlative
obligation binding upon India. The Application states that in July
1954, contrary tothe practice hitherto followed, the Government of
India, in pursuance of what the Application calls "the open cam-
paign which it has been carrying on since 1950 for the annexation
of Portuguese territories", prevented Portugal from exercising this
right of passage. This denial by India having been maintained, it
has followed, according to the Application, that the enclaves of
Dadra and Nagar-Aveli have been completely cut off from the rest
of the Portuguese territory, the Portuguese authorities thus being

placed in a position in which it became impossible for them to
exercise Portuguese rights of sovereignty there.
It is in that situation, and in order to secure a remedy therefor,
that Portugal has referred the matter to the Court.

The questions submitted to the Court have been argued at length
by the Parties in the course of the proceedings. Their final formu-
lation is to be found in the Submissions by which each of the Parties
has stated what it asks the Court to adjudge and declare.
Since Portugal is the Applicant, it is in its Submissions that the
formulation of the claims on which the Court must adjudicate is
to be sought. Furthermore, subject to what will be said with regard

25to the jurisdiction of the Court, India has confined itself in its Sub-
missions on the merits to adopting the negative position of request-
ing the Court "to hold that the claim is unfounded".

The Submissions presented by Portugal in the Application
request the Court in the first place "To recognize and declare that
Portugal is the holder or beneficiary of a right of passage", the
characteristics of which are set forth. In the course of the proceed-

ings stress was laid by both Parties on the importance of this
claim and the answer to be given to it.
This claim was repeated in the Submissions filed on 6 Octo-
ber 1959 on behalf of the Government of Portugal. The Court was
there asked :
"To adjudge and declare
That the right of passage between the enclaves of Dadra and
Nagar-Aveli and between these enclaves and the coastal district
ofDaman, as defined above, is a right possessed by Portugal and
which must be respected by India."

Thus formulated, the claim reveals both the right claimed by
Portugal and the correlative obligation binding upon India.

But, as thus formulated, the claim requires clarification of its
subject-matter, since it contains a reference to the grounds relied

upon in its support. It is clear from this reference that the right of
passage is invoked by Portugal "only to the extent necessary for
the exercise of Portuguese sovereignty over the enclaves". It is not
contended that passage is accompanied by any immunity in favour
of those who effect it. It is made clear that such passage remains
subject to the regulation and control of India, which must be
exercised in good faith, India being under an obligation not to
prevent the transit necessary for the exercise of Portuguese sover-
eignty over the enclaves.
The Court must adjudicate upon the claim as thus presented,
stating whether the right invoked by Portugal is or is not a right
possessed by that State. But with reference to what date must the
Court ascertain whether the right invoked by Portugal exists or
does not exist ?
Ifthe date selected is the eve of the events o1954 which brought
about a new situation which has since prevented the exercise by
Portugal of its authority in the enclaves without, however, having

substituted therefor that of India, the factors relevant for the guid-
ance of the Court in its decision will be those existing on the eve
of those events. If, on the other hand, the issue is viewed as it
stands at the date of the present Judgment, it will be necessary
to take into account-whatever may be their weight-the argu-
26ments of India designed to establish that the right of passage,
assuming itto have existed previously, came to an end as a result
of the events of 1954 and has lapsed in the present circumstances.
Portugal has not indicated which date is the relevant one in this
connection and, having regard to its silence on the point, the in-
clination might be to regard as the relevant date that of the Appli-
cation or that of the Judgment. But this would fail to take into
account the circumstances in which the question of the existence
of a right of passage was put to the Court.
That question was put tothe Court in respect of the dispute which
has arisen between India and Portugal with regard to obstacles
placed by India in the way of passage. Portugal-and this was the
immediate purpose of the Application-sought a finding as to the

character, in its opinion unlawful, of these obstacles. It was in
support of this contention that it invoked its right of passage and
asked the Court to declare the existence of that right. This being so,
it is the eve of the creation ofhese obstacles that must be selected
as the sta~iipoint from which to ascertain whether or not Portugal
possessed such a right.
This will leave open the arguments of India regarding the sub-
sequent lapse of the right of passage and of the correlative obliga-
tion. It is in connection with what may have to be decided, not as
to the past, but as to the present and the future, that these argu-
ments may, if such questions arise, be taken into consideration.
Accordingly the first question with regard to which the Subrnis-
sions of Portugal cal1 upon the Court to decide is whether, on the
eve of the events which occurred at Dadra and at Nagar-Aveli in
1954 ,ortugal had a right of passage over the territory of India to
the extent necessary for the exercise of Portuguese sovereignty over
the enclaves, which right was subject to the regulation and control
of India.
Portugal asks the Court to hold that it had this nght. India asks
it to hold that the claim is unfounded.

To this first claim Portugal adds two others, though these are
conditional upon a reply, wholly or partly favourable, to the first
claim, and will lose their purpose if the right alleged is not recog-
nized. The formulation of these two claims, also, is to be sought in
the Submissions filed on behalf of Portugal on 6 October 1959.

Portugal asks the Court in the first place:

"To adjudge and declare
That India has not complied with the obligations incumbent upon
it by virtue of Portugal's right of passage."
This claim specifically refers to the obligations devolving upon
India as a result of Portugal's right of passage, and for this reason it must be considered and decided by the Court, if the Court recog-
nizes the said right of passage.
However, the grounds set forth in support of this claim include
certain considerations which go beyond its subject-matter. Refer-
ence is made to the circumstances in which the alleged breach is
said to have occurred. Mention is made of the events leading to the
overthrow of Portuguese authority at Dadra and Nagar-Aveli in
July and August 1954 brought about, in particular, by the action
of elements coming from Indian territory. In this connection allu-
sion is made to India's failure to respect the obligation, said to be
binding on it under general international law, to adopt suitable
measures to prevent the incursion of subversive elements into the
territory of another State. With regard to the events of July 1954,

it is stated among the grounds in support of the Portuguese Sub-
missions that "the threat of action directed against the Portuguese
tenitories of India could not be a matter of which the Indian
Government was unaware"; that "it was clearly incumbent upon
the Indian Government to takethe measures which layin its power
to prevent the realization of such a design"; that "the Indian
Government took no such measures"; that, following the public
announcement of an expedition by the "United Front of Goans"
against Nagar-Aveli, "the Indian Government took no step to
prevent that second expedition"; and that, "so far from thus per-
forming its duty towards Portugal, it firmly opposed allcommuni-
cations of Portugal with the enclaves". All this is stated, not merely
to demonstrate in what circumstances India impeded or prohibited
passage by Portugal, but also to demonstrate that, as well as failing
to respect its specialobligation in the matter of passage, India was
in breach of a general obligation under international law; and the
grounds in support of the Submissions make this clear by adding,

after the description of the events of that time, that "the attitude
adopted by India is thus in two respects contrary to the duty im-
posed upon it by international law, since instead of protecting
Portugal against the unlawful enterprise with which the latter was
threatened, it placed Portugal in a situation in which it was im-
possible for that State to defend itself against that enterprise".
In terms much more definite even than the above, Counsel for
Portugal, speaking at the hearing of 29 October 1959, accused India
of failure to fulfil its international obligations by tolerating on its
territory enterprises directed against Portuguese authority at
Dadra, and later at Nagar-Aveli. India denied this and, more
particularly in the grounds set forth in answer to Portugal's second
Submission, "indignantly" rejects the accusation thus brought
against it, and explains what course it actually followed.
The Court is not required to deal with this issue, for it has not
been asked, either in the Application or in the final Submissions of
the Parties, to decide whether or not India's attitude towards those

who instigated and brought about the events which occurred in
2831 RIGHT OF Pi1SSAGE OVER INDIAN TERRITORY (JUDGM 1.2IV 60)
1954 at Dadra and Nagar-Aveli constituted a breach of its obli-

gations under international law. The Court is only asked to adjudi-
cate upon the compatibility of India's action with the obligations
resulting from Portugal's right of passage. It is not asked to deter-
mine whether India's conduct was compatible with any other obli-
gation alleged to be imposed upon it by international law.
This limitation derives from the very terms of the second claim
advanced by Portugal.

After setting forth these two claims, which refer, implicitly or
explicitly, to the past-thatis, to the legal situationas it existed in
1954 and to India's actions at that time-Portugal's Submissions
follow the course adopted in the Application and the Memorial,
but with greater complexity; they turn to the present and the future,
requesting the Court to determine certain measures to be adopted
in the event of a decision recognizing the right claimed by Portugal
and finding that India has committed a breach of its correlative
obligation. In this connection the Application and the Memorial
had merely sought respectively a decision by the Court, and a cal1
by the Court to India, designed to secure the termination of the
unlawful state of affairsresulting from India's alleged infringement
of Portugal's right. In the Submissions filed on behalf of the Govern-

ment of Portugal on 6 October 1959 his claim is put fonvardin an
alternative form depending upon whether or not the Court holds
that there should be a temporary suspension of the right of passage.
If the Court is not of opinion that there shouldbe such a suspension,
itis asked to decide "that India must end the measures by which it
opposes the exercice of the right of passage of Portugal". If the
Court is of opinion that there should be a temporary suspension
of the right of passage, it is asked to hold now that "this suspension
shall end as soon as the course of events discloses that the justifi-
cation for the suspension has disappeared".
Before putting fonvard its third claim, Portugal raised another
point. It invited the Court "to hold that the arguments of India ...
are without foundation" on three points. These are arguments
selected from the contentions by which India opposes the claims

made by Portugal regarding the decision it seeks as to the future
effect of the right of passage. These arguments relate to:

(1) "India's right to adopt an attitude of neutrality in the con-
flict between the lawful Government and the alleged insurgents";
(2) "The application of the provisions of the United Nations
Charter relating to human rights and to the right of self-determin-
ation of peoples";

(3) The bar constituted by "the existence in the enclaves of
a ..local government which is not represented before the Court" to
29the Court's "adjudicating, in the present circumstances, on the
Portuguese claim".
It goes without saying that the Court would take such argu-
ments into consideration in the reasons for its Judgment if it re-

garded any of them as likely to assist it in arriving at the deci-
sion it is called upon to take. But it is no part of the judicial func-
tion of the Court to declare in the operative part of its Judgment
that any of those arguments is or is not well-founded.

Before proceeding to the consideration of the merits, the Court

must ascertain whether it has jurisdiction to do so, a jurisdiction
which India has expressly contested.
Following upon the Application instituting proceedings by Portu-
gal filed on 22 December 1955, the Court was seised of six preli-
minary objections raised by the Government of India. By a Judg-
ment given on 26 November 1957 the Court rejected four of them
and joined to the ments the two others, by which the Government
of India continued to dispute the jurisdiction of the Court to deàl
with the present case.
The Court has first to adjudicate upon these two objections,
which, as originally submitted, constituted the Fifth and Sixth Pre-
liminary Objections.

In its Fifth Preliminary Objection the Government of India
relied upon the reservation which forms part of its Declaration of
28 February 1940 accepting the jurisdiction of the Court and which
excludes from that jurisdiction disputes with regard to questions
which by international law fall exclusively within the jurisdiction
of India. The Government of India argues that on that score the
present dispute is outside the jurisdiction of the Court.
In support of its challenge of the jurisdiction the Government of
India contended, in the grounds in support of its Submissions of
21 October 1959, that :

"if its examination of the merits should lead the Court to a finding
that Portugal has not established the existence of the titles which
she has invoked, and thatthese titles must accordingly be regarded
as non-existent, it must follow that the question of the grant or
refusa1of the passage claimed overIndian territory falls exclusively
within thedomestic jurisdictionof India...".
That statement admits of no dispute, but it cannot be inferred
therefrom, as the Indian Government does, that the Court has no

jurisdiction, since the statement proceeds from a finding by the
Court that the titles invoked by Portugal are invalid. The Court
30can only arrive at that finding after first establishing its competence
to examine the validity of these titles.

In the present case Portugal is claiming a right of passage over
Indian territory. It asserts the existence of a correlative obligation

upon India. It asks for a finding that India has failed to fulfil that
obligation. In support of the first two claims it invokes a Treaty of
1779 of which India contests both the existence and the interpre-
tation. Portugal relies upon a practice of which India contests not
only the substance, but also the binding character as between the
two States which Portugal seeks to attach to it. Portugal further
invokes international custom and the principles of international
law as it interprets them. To contend that such a right of passage
is one which can be relied upon as against India, to claim that such
an obligation is binding upon India, to invoke, whether rightly or
wrongly, such principles is to place oneself on the plane of inter-
national law. Indeed, in the course of the proceedings both Parties
took their stand upon that ground and on occasion expressly said
so. To decide upon the validity of those principles, upon the exis-
tence of such a right of Portugal as against India, upon such obli-
gation of India towards Portugal, and upon the alleged failure to
fulfilthat obligation,does not fa11exclusively within the jurisdiction
of India.
The Fifth Objection cannot therefore be upheld.

The Sixth Preliminary Objection by which India has challenged
the junsdiction of the Court likewise relates to a limitation of

India's acceptance of the jurisdiction of the Court, as set out in
its Declaration of 28 February 1940.
By the terms of that Declaration India accepted the jurisdiction
of the Court "over all disputes arising after February 5th, 1930,
with regard to situations or facts subsequent to the same date".
India contends that the present dispute does not satisfy either of
the two conditions stated and that the Court is therefore without
jurisdiction.
In order to form a judgment as to the Court's jurisdiction it is
necessary to consider what is the subject of the dispute.
A passage in the Application headed "Subject of the Dispute"
indicates that subject as being the conflict of views which arose
between the two States when, in 1954, India opposed the exercise
of Portugal's right of passage. If this were the subject of the dis-
pute referred to the Court, the challenge to the jurisdiction could
not be sustained. But it appeared from the Application itself and it
was fully confirmed by the subsequent proceedings, the Submissions
of the Parties and statements made in the course of the hearings,
that the dispute submitted to the Court has a threefold subject :

31 (1) The disputed existence of a right of passage in favour of
Portugal ;

(2) The alleged failure of India in July 1954 to comply with its
obligations concerning that right of passage;
(3) The redress of the illegal situation flowing from that failure.

The dispute before the Court, having this three-fold subject,
could not arise until al1 its constituent elements had come into
existence. Among these are the obstacles which India is alleged to
have placed in the way of exercise of passage by Portugal in 1954.
The dispute therefore as submitted to the Court could not have
originated until 1954. Thus it satisfies the time-condition to which
the Declaration of India made its acceptance of the jurisdiction
of the Court subject.
Even if we consider only the part of the dispute relating to the
Portuguese claim, which India contests, to a right of passage over

Indian territory, the position is the same. It is clear from the
material placed before the Court that before 1954,passage waseffect-
ed in a way recognized as acceptable to both sides. Certain incidents
occurred, but they did not lead the Parties to adopt clearly-defined
legal positions as against each other. The "conflict of legal views"
between Parties which the Permanent Court of International
Justice in the case of the Mavrommatis Palestine Concessions
(Series A, No. 2, p. II) includes in its definition of a dispute had not
yet arisen. This is clear in particular from statements made by
Counsel for India at the hearings of 15October and 3 November,
and by Counsel for Portugal at the hearing of 28 October 1959.

Accordingly there is no justification for saying that the dispute

before the Court arose before 5 February 1930. There is not there-
fore, so far as the date of the birth of the dispute is concerned,
any bar to the jurisdiction of the Court.
But India further contends that the dispute is one with regard
to facts and situations prior to that date and that this takes it
outside the jurisdiction of the Court.
On the point here under consideration, the Declaration of
28 February 1940, by which India has accepted the jurisdiction of
the Court, does not proceed on the principle of excluding from that
acceptance any given disputes: It proceeds in a positive manner on
the basis of indicating the gisputes which are included within that
acceptance. By its terms, the jurisdiction of the Court is accepted

"over al1disputes arising after February 5th, 1930, with regard to
situations or facts subsequent to the same date".
In accordance with tge terms of the Declaration, the Court must
hold that it has juridiction if it finds that the dispute submitted to
it is a dispute with'regard to a situation subsequent to 5 Febru-
ary 1930 or is on6 with regard to facts subsequent to that date. The facts or situations to which regard must be had in this con-
nection are those with regard to which the dispute has ansen or,
in other words, as was said by the Permanent Court in the case
conceming the Electricity Company of Sofia and Bulgaria, only
"those which must be considered as being the source of the disputeJ',
those which are its "real cause". The Permanent Court, in this
connection, was unwilling to regard as such an earlier arbitral award
which was the source of the rights claimed by one of the Parties,
but which had given rise to no difficulty pnor to the facts consti-
tuting the subject of the dispute. "It is true", it said, "that a
dispute may presuppose the existence of some prior situation or
fact,but it does not follow that the dispute anses in regard to that

situation or fact." (SerieA/B, No. 77, p. 82.) The Permanent Court
thus drew a distinction between the situations or facts which con-
stitute the source of the rights claimed by one of the Parties and
the situations or facts which are the source of the aspute. Only
the latter are to be taken into account for the purpose of applying
the Declaration accepting the jurisdiction of the Court.
The dispute submitted to the Court is one with regard to a
situation and, at the same time, with regard to certain facts: on
the one hand there is the situation of the Portuguese enclaveswithin
the-territory of India, which gave rise to the need for a right of
passage for Portugal and to its claim to such a right; on the other
hand there are the facts of 1954which Portugal advances as showing
the failure of India to comply with its obligations, infringements
of that right.
Up to 1954 the situation of those territories may have given rise
to a few minor incidents, but passage had been effected without
any controversy as to the title under which it was effected. It was
only in 1954 that such a controversy arose and the dispute relates
both to the existence of a right of passage to go into the enclaved
tenitories and to India's failure to comply with obligations which,
according to Portugal, were binding upon it in this connection. It
was from al1 of this that the dispute referred to the Court arose;
it is with regard to all of this that the dispute exists. This whole,
whatever may have been the earlier origin of one of its parts, came
into existence only after 5 February 1930. The time-condition to
which acceptance of the jurisdiction of'the Court was made subject

by the Declaration of India is therefore complied with.
A finding that the Court has jurisdiction in this case will not
involve giving any retroactive effect to India's acceptance of the
compulsory jurisdiction, an effect against which the Permanent
Court, in the Phosphates in Moroccocase, sought to utter a warning
as one which would be in conflict with the intention which led to
such acceptance (Series A/B, No. 74, p. 24). The Court indeed will
only have to pass upon the existence of the right claimed by Portu-
gal as at July 1954, upon the alleged failure of India to comply
with its obligations at that time and upon any redress in respect of
33 RIGHT OF PASSrlGE OVER INDIAN TERRITORY (JUDGM. 12 IV 60)
36
such a failure. The Court has not been asked for any finding whatso-
ever with regard to the past prior to 5 February 1930.
It would be idle to argue that the contentions put fonvard with
regard to the existence of a right of passage would, if that question
had been argued before 1930, have been the same as when it is

today. Apart from the fact that that consideration relates only to
a part of the present dispute, it overlooks the fact that the condition
to which the Court's jurisdiction is subject does not relate to the
nature of the arguments susceptible of being advanced. The fact
that a treaty, of greater or lesser antiquity, that a rule of inter-
national law, established for a greater or lesser period, are invoked,
is not the yardstick for the jurisdiction of the Court according to
the Indian Declaration. That Declaration is limited to the require-
ment that the dispute shall concern a situation orfacts subsequent to
5 February 1930: the present dispute satisfies that requirement.

The Court is therefore of opinion that the Sixth Objection should
not be upheld and, consequently, it is of opinion that it has juris-
diction to deal with the present dispute.

The Court will now proceed to consider the merits.
It follows from what has been indicated above, that the Court
has only three questions to consider on the merits:
(1)The existence in 1954 of a right of passage in Portugal's
favour to the extent necessary for the exercise of its sovereignty

over the enclaves, exercise of that right being regulated and con-
trolled by India;
(2) Failure by India in 1954 to fulfil its obligation in regard to
that right of passage;

(3) In the event of a finding of such failure, the remedy for the
resulting unlawful situation.
Portugal claims a right of passage between Daman and the en-
claves, and between the enclaves, across intervening Indian terri-
tory, to the extent necessary for the exercise of its sovereignty over
the enclaves, subject to India's right of regulation and control of

the passage claimed, and without any immunity in Portugal's
favour. It claims further that India is under obligation so to exer-
cise its power of regulation and control as not to prevent the pas-
sage necessary for the exercise of Portugal's sovereignty over the
enclaves.
India contends that the right claimed by Portugal is too vague and
contradictory to enable the Court to pass judgment upon it by the
application of the legal rules enumerated in Article 38 (1)of the
Statute. Portugal answers that the right which it claims is definite
enough for determination on the basis of international law, and that

al1that the Court is called upon to do is to declare the existence
34of the right in favour of Portugal, leaving its actual exercise to be
regulated and adjusted between the Parties as the exigencies of
the day-to-day situation might require.
India argues that the vague and contradictory character of the
right claimed by Portugal is proved by Portugal's admission that
on the one hand the exercise of the right is subject to India's regu-
lation and control as the territorial sovereign, and that on the other
hand the right is not accompanied by any immunity, even in the
case of the passage of armed forces.
There is no doubt that the day-to-day exercise of the right of
passage as formulated by Portugal, with correlative obligation
upon India, may give rise to delicate questions of application, but
that is not, in the view of the Court, sufficient ground for holding
that the right is not susceptible of judicial determination with
reference to Article38 (1)of the Statute. The Court is satisfied that
the right of passage claimed by Portugal has, in the circumstances,
been defined with sufficient precision to enable the Court to pass
upon it.

In support of itsclaim, Portugal relies on the Treaty of Poona of
1779 and on sanads (decrees), issued by the Maratha ruler in 1783
and 1785, as having conferred sovereignty on Portugal over the
enclaves with the right of passage to them.

India objects on various grounds that what is alleged to be the
Treaty of 1779 was not validly entered into and never became in
law a treaty binding upon the Marathas. The Court's attention has,
in this connection, been drawn inter alia to the divergence between
the different texts of the Treaty placed before the Court and to
the absence of any text accepted as authentic by both parties and
attested by them or by their duly authorized representatives. The
Court does not consider it necessary to deal with these and other
objections raised by India to the form of the Treaty and the proce-
dure by means of which agreement upon its terms was reached. It
is sufficient to state that the validity of a treaty concluded as long
ago as the last quarter of the eighteenth century, in the conditions
then prevailing in the Indian Peninsula, should not be judged upon
the basis of practices and procedures which have since developed
only gradually. The Marathas themselves regarded the Treaty of
1779 as valid and binding upon them, and gave effect to its pro-

visions. The Treaty is frequently referred to as such in subsequent
forma1 Maratha documents, including the two sanads of 1783 and
1785, which purport to have been issued in pursuance of the Treaty.
The Marathas did not at any time cast any doubt upon the validity
or binding character of the Treaty. India contends further that the Treaty and the two sanadsof 1783
and 1785 taken together did not operate to transfer sovereignty
over the assigned villages to Portugal, but only conferred upon it,
with respect to the villages, a revenue grant of the value of 12,000
rupees per annum called a jagir or saranjam.

Article 17 of the Treaty is relied upon by Portugal as constituting
a transfer of sovereignty. From an examination of the various texts
of that article placed before it, the Court is unable to conclude that
the language employed therein was intended to transfer sovereignty
over the villages to the Portuguese. There are several instances on
the record of treaties concluded by the Marathas which show that,
where a transfer of sovereignty was intended, appropriate and

adequate expressions like cession "in perpetuity" or "in perpetual
sovereignty" were used. The expressions used in the two sanads
and connected relevant documents establish, on the other hand,
that what was granted to the Portuguese was only a revenue tenure
called a jagir or saranjam of the value of 12,000 rupees a year. This
was a very common form of grant in India and not a single in-
stance has been brought to the notice of the Court in which such a
grant has been construed as amounting to a cession of territory in
sovereignty.
It is argued that the Portuguese were granted authority to put
down revolt or rebellion in the assigned villages and that this is an
indication that they were granted sovereignty over the villages.
The Court does not consider that this conclusion is well-founded. If
the intention of the Marathas had been to grant sovereignty over

the villages to the Portuguese, it would have been unnecessary for
the grant to recite that the future sovereign would have authority
to quel1a revolt or rebellion in his own territory. In the context in
which this authorization occurs, it would appear that the intention
was that the Portuguese would have authority on behalf of the
Maratha ruler and would owe a dutyto him to put down any revolt
or rebellion in the villages against his authority.
It therefore appears that the Treaty of 1779 and the sanads of
1783 and 1785 were intended by the Marathas to effect in favour of
the Portuguese only a grant of a jagir or saranjam, and not to
transfer sovereignty over the villages to them.

Having regard to the view that the Court has taken of the charac-
ter of the Maratha grant in favour of the Portuguese, the situation
during the Maratha period need not detain the Court further in its
consideration of Portugal's claim of a right of passage to and from
the enclaves. During the Maratha penod sovereignty over the
villages comprised in the grant, as well as over the intervening
territory between coastal Daman and the villages, vested in the
Marathas. There could, therefore, be no question of any enrlave or
of any right of passage for the purpose of exercising sovereignty

over enclaves. The fact that the Portuguese had access to the villages
36for the purpose of collecting revenue andin pursuit of that purpose
exercised such authority as had been delegated to them by the
Marathas cannot, in the view of the Court, be equated to a right
of passage for the exercise of sovereignty.

It is clear from a study of the material placed before the Court
that the situation underwent a change with the advent of the
British as sovereign of that part of the country i~ place of the
Marathas. The British found the Portuguese in occupation of the
villages and exercising full and exclusive administrative authority
over them. They accepted the situation asthey found it andleft the
Portuguese in occupation of, and in exercise of exclusive authority
over, the villages. The Portuguese held themselves out as sovereign
over the villages. The British did not, as successors of the Marathas,
themselves claim sovereignty, nor did they accord express recog-

nition of Portuguesesovereignty,over them. The exclusive authority
of the Portuguese over the villages was never brought in question.
Thus Portuguese sovereignty over the villages was recognized by
the British in fact and by implication and was subsequently tacitly
recognized by India. As a consequence the villages comprised in the
Maratha grant acquired the character of Portuguese enclaveswithin
Indian territory.
For the purpose of determining whether Portugal has established
the right of passage claimed by it, the Court must have regard to
what happened during the British and post-British periods. During
these periods, there had developed between the Portuguese and the
territorial sovereign with regard to passage tothe enclavesa practice
upon which Portugal relies for the purpose of establishing the right
of passage claimed by it.
With regard to Portugal's claim of a right ofpassage as formulated
by it on the basis of local custom, it is objected on behalf of India
that no local custom could be established between only two States.

It is difficult to see why the number of States between which a
Iocal custom may be established on the basis of long practice must
necessarily be larger than two. The Court sees no reason why long
continued practice between two States accepted by them as
regulating their relations should not form the basis of mutual rights
and obligations between the two States.

As already stated, Portugal claims a right of passage to the extent
necessary for the exercise of its sovereignty over the enclaves,with-
out any immunity and subject to the regulation and control of
India. In the course of the written and oral proceedings, the exis-
tence of the right was discussed with reference to the different
categories making up the right, namely private perçons, civil
officials,goods in general,armed forces, armea police, and arms and

37ammunition. The Court will proceed to examine whether such a
right as is claimed by Portugal is established on the basis of the
practice that prevailed between the Parties during the British and
post-British periods in respect of each of these categories.
It is common ground between the Parties that the passage of
private perçons and civil officialswas not subject to anyrestrictions,
beyond routine control, during these periods. There is nothing on
the record to indicate the contrary.
Goods in general, that is toSay, al1merchandise other than arms
and ammunition, also passed freely between Daman and the en-
claves during the periods in question, subject only, at certain times,
to customs regulations and such regulation and control as were
necessitated by considerations of security or revenue. The general

prohibition of the transit of goods during the Second World War
and prohibitions imposed upon the transit of Salt and, on certain
occasions, upon that of liquor and materials for the distillation of
liquor, were specific measures necessitated by the considerations
just referred to. The scope and purpose of each prohibition were
clearly defined. In al1 other cases the passage of goods was freeNo
authorization or licence was required.

The Court, therefore, concludes that, with regard to private
persons, civil officials and goods in general there existed during the
British and post-British penods a constant and uniform practice
allowing freepassage between Daman andthe enclaves. Thispractice
having continued over a period extending beyond a century and a
quarter unaffected by the change of regime in respect of the inter-
vening territory which occurred when India became independent,
the Court is, in view of allthe circumstances of the case, satisfied
thatthat practice was accepted as law by the Parties and has given
rise to a right and a correlative obligation.

The Court therefore holds that Portugal had in 1954 a right of
passage over intervening Indian temtory between coastal Daman
and the enclaves and between the enclaves, in respect of private
perçons, civil officials and goods in general, to the extent necessary,
as claimed by Portugal, for the exercise of its sovereignty over the

enclaves, and subject to the regulation and control of India.

As regards armed forces, armed police and arms and ammunition,
the position is different.
It appears that during the British period up to 1878 passage of
armed forces and armed police between British and Portuguese
possessions was regulated on a basis of reciprocity. No distinction
appears to have been made in this respect with regard to passage
between Daman and the enclaves. There is nothing to show that
passage of armed forces and armed police between Daman and the
38enclaves or between the enclaves was permitted or exercised as of
right.
Paragraph 3 of Article XVIII of the Treaty of Commerce and
Extradition of 26 December 1878 between Great Britajn and
Portugal laid down that the armed forces of the two Governments
should not enter the Indian dominions of the other, except for the
purposes specifiedin former Treaties, or for the rendering of mutual
assistance as provided for in the Treaty itself, or in consequence of
a formal request made by theParty desiring such entry. Subsequent

correspondence between the British and Portuguese authorities in
India shows that this provision was applicable to passage between
Daman and the enclaves.
It is argued on behalf of Portugal that on twenty-three occasions
during the years 1880-1889Portuguese armed forces crossed British
territory between Daman and the enclaves without obtaining per-
mission. In this connection, it should be observed that on 8 Decem-
ber 1890the Government of Bombay fonvarded to the Government
of Portuguese India a complaint to the effect that "armed men in
the service of the Portuguese Government are in the habit of
passing without forma1 request through a portion of the British
Pardi talztka of Surat en route from Daman to Nagar Haveli and
back again. It would appear that the provisions of Article XVIII
of the Treaty are thus violated." In his letter of22 December 1890
addressed to the Governor of Bombay, the Governor-General of
Portuguese India stated: "On so delicate a subject 1request leave
to observe that Portuguese troops never cross British territory
without previous permission", and went on to add: "For centuries
has this practice been followed, whereby the treaties have been

respected and due deference shown to the British Authorities." The
statement that this practice concerning the passage of armed forces
from the territory of one State to that of the other had continued
over a long period even before the enclaves came into existence
finds support, for instance,in a Treaty of 1741between the Marathas
and the Portuguese which contained the following provision: "A
soldier of the Sarkar [Maratha ruler] entering the territory of Daman
will do so only with the permission of the Firangee [Portuguese].
If a soldier of the Firangeewere to enter the territory of the Sarkar,
he Ml1 do so only with the permission of the Sarkar. There is no
reason to enter without permission."
In consequence of the British complaint that passage of armed
men between Daman and the enclaves took place in contravention
of Article XVIII of the Treaty of 1878 and of the reply of the
Governor-General of Portuguese India of 22 December 1890, a
certain amount of further correspondence took place andthe matter
was concluded with the assurance contained in the letter of the
Secretary-General of the Government of Portuguese India dated

I May 1891, in which he stated: "His Excellency thanks you for
the communication with regard to the circumstances in which thematter is placed, and requests me to state that on the part of this
Government injunctions will be given for the strictest observance
of the provisions of Article XVIII of the Anglo-PortugueseTreaty."
The Court is not concerned with the question whether any vio-
lation of the relevant provision of the Treaty in fact took place.
Whether any such violation did or did not take place, the legal

position with regard to the passage of armed forces between Daman
and the enclaves appears clearly from this correspondence.
The requirement of a forma1 request before passage of armed
forces could take place was repeated in an agreement of 1913.
With regard to armed police, the position was similar to that of
armed forces. The Treaty of 1878 regulated the passage of armed
police on the basis of reciprocity. Paragraph 2 of Article XVIII of
the Treaty made provision for the entry of the police authorities
of the parties into the territories of the other party for certain
specific purposes, e.g., the pursuit of criminals and perçons engaged
in smuggling and contraband practices, on a reciprocal basis. An
agreement of 1913 established an arrangement providing for a
reciprocal concession permitting parties of armed police to cross
intervening territory, provided previous intimation was given. An

agreement of 1920 provided that armed police below a certain rank
should not enter the territory of the other party without consent
previously obtained.
An agreement of 1940 concerning passage of Portuguese armed
police over the Daman-Silvassa (Nagar-Aveli) road provided that,
if the party did not exceed ten in number, intimation of its passage
should be given to the British authorities within twenty-four hours
after passage had taken place, but that "If any number exceeding
ten at a time are required so to travel at any time the existing
practice should be followed and concurrence of the British authori-
ties should be obtained by prior notice as heretofore."

Both with regard to armed forces and armed police, no change
took place during the post-British period after India became
independent.

It would thus appear that, during the British and post-British
periods, Portuguese armed forces and armed police did not pass
between Daman and the enclaves as of right and that, after 1878,
such passage could only take place with previous authorization by
the British and later by India, accorded either under a reciprocal
arrangement already agreed to, or in individual cases. Having regard
to the special circumstances of the case, this necessity for autho-
rization before passage could take place constitutes, in the view
of the Court, a negation of passage as of right. The practice
predicates that the territorial sovereign had the discretionary
power to withdraw or to refuse permission. It is argued that per-
mission was always granted, but this does not, in the opinion of
the Court, affect the legal position. There is nothing in the record

40 to show that grant of permission was incumbent on the British
or on India as an obligation.
As regards arms and ammunition, paragraph 4 of Article XVIII
of the Treaty of 1878 provided that the exportation of arms, ammu-
nition or rnilitary stores from the territories of one party to those
of the other "shall not be permitted, except with the consent of,
and under rules approved of by, the latter".

Rule 7 A, added in 1880 to the rules framed under the Indian
Arms Act of 1878, provided that "nothing in des 5,6, or 7 shall be
deemed to authorize the grant of licences ...to import any arms,
ammunition or military stores from Portuguese India, [or]to export
to Portuguese India ..[such objects] ..except ..by a special
licence". Subsequent practice shows that this provision applied to
transit between Daman and the enclaves.

There was thus established a cleardistinction between the practice
permitting free passage of private perçons, civil officials and goods
in general, and the practice requiring previous authorization, as
in the case of armed forces, armed police, and arms and ammu-
nition.
The Court is, therefore, of the view that no right of passage in
favour of Portugal involving a correlative obligation on India has
been established in respect of arrned forces, armed police, and arms
and ammunition. The course of dealings established between the
Portuguese and the British authorities with respect to the passage
of these categories excludes the existence of any such right. The
practice that was established shows that, with regard to these cate-
gories, it was well understood that passage could take place only by
permission of the British authorities. This situation continued
during the post-British penod.

Portugal also invokes general international custom, as well as
the general principles of law recognized by civilized nations, in
support of its claim of a right of passage as formulated by it. Having
arrived at the conclusion that the course of dealings between the
British and Indian authorities on the one hand and the Portuguese
on the other established a practice, well understood between the
Parties, by virtue of which Portugal had acquired a right of passage
in respect ofprivate perçons, civil officials and goods in general, the
Court does not consider it necessary to examine whether general
international custom or the general principles of law recognized by
civilized nations may lead to the same result.

As regards armed forces, armed police and arms and ammunition,
the finding of the Court that the practice established between theParties required for passage in respect of these categories the
permission of the British or Indian authorities, renders it un-
necessary for the Court to determine whether or not, in the
absence of the practice thatactually prevailed, general international
custom or the general principles of law recognized by civilized
nations could have been relied upon by Portugal in support of its
claim to a right of passage in respect of these categories.
The Court is here dealing with a concrete case having special
features. Historically the case goes back to a period when, and
relates to a region in which, the relations between neighbouring
States were not regulated by precisely formulated niles but were
governed largely by practice. Where therefore the Court finds a

practice clearly established between two States which was accepted
by the Parties as governing the relations between them, the Court
must attribute decisive effect to that practice for the purpose of
determining their specific rights and obligations.Such a particular
practice must prevail over any general rules.

Having found that Portugal had in 1954 a right of passage over
intervening Indian territory between Daman and the enclaves in
respect of private persons, civil officials and goods in general, the
Court will proceed to consider whether India has acted contrary to
its obligation resulting from Portugal's right of passage in respect
of any of these categories.
Portugal complains of the progressive restriction of its right of
passage between October 1953 and July 1954. It does not, however,

contend that India had, during that period, acted contrary to its
obligation resulting from Portugal's right of passage. But Portugal
complains that passage was thereafter denied to Portuguese natio-
nal~ of European origin,whether civil officialçorprivate persons, to
native Indian Portuguese in the employ of the Portuguese Govern-
ment, and to a delegation that the Governor of Daman proposed
to send to Nagar-Aveli and Dadra.

It may be observed that the Governor of Daman was granted the
necessary visas for a journey to and back from Dadra as late as
21 JU~Y 1954.
The events that took place in Dadra on 21-22 July 1954resulted
in the overthrow of Portuguese authority in that enclave. This
created tension in the surrounding Indian temtory. Thereafter al1
passage was suspended by India. India contends that this became
necessary in view of the abnormal situation which had arisen in
Dadra and the tension created in surrounding Indian tenitory.

On 26 July the Portuguese Government requested that delegates
of the Governor of Daman (if necessary limited to three) should beenabled to go to Nagar-Aveli in order to enter into contact with the
population, examine the situation and take the necessary admini-
strative measures on the spot. The request stated that if possible
this delegation would also visit Dadra and examine the situation
there. It mentioned that the delegation could be routed directly to
Nagar-Aveli from Daman and need not necessarily pass through
Dadra. The Government of India in its reply dated 28 July refused
this request. The reply stressed interalia the tension that prevailed

in the intervening Indian temtory, and went on to state:

"This tension is bound to increase if Portuguese officials are
permitted to go acrossIndian territory for the purposes mentioned
in the note. The passage of these officialsacross Indian temtory
might also lead to other undesirable consequences in view ofthe
strong feelingswhich have been aroused by the repressive actions
of the Portuguese authorities. Inhese circumstances, therefore, the
Govemment of India regret that they cannot entertain the demand
ofthe Portuguese authorities for facilities to enable them to send a
delegation from Daman to Dadra and Nagar-Aveli across Indian
territory."
In view of the tension then prevailing in intervening Indian
tefitory, the Court is unable to hold that India's refusal of passage
to the proposed delegation and its refusal of visas to Portuguese
nationals of European origin and to native Indian Portuguese in the
employ of the Portuguese Government was action contrary to its
obligation resulting from Portugal's right of passage. Portugal's

claim of a right of passage is subject to fullrecognition and exercise
of Indian sovereignty over the intervening temtory and without
any immunity in favour of Portugal. The Court is of the view that
India's refusal of passage in those cases was, in the circumstances,
covered by its power of regulation and control of the right of passage
of Portugal.

For these reasons,

by thirteen votes to two,

rejects the Fifth Preliminary Objection;
by eleven votes to four,
rejects the Sixth Preliminary Objection;

by eleven votes to four,
finds that Portugal had in 1954 a right of passage over intervening

Indian territory between the enclaves of Dadra and Nagar-Aveli
and the coastal district of Daman and between these enclaves, to
the extent necessary for the exercise of Portuguese sovereignty over
43the enclaves and subject to the regulation and control of India, in
respect ofprivate persons, civil officials and goods in general;

by eight votes to seven,
finds that Portugal did not havin 1954 such a right of passage in
respect of armed forces, armed police, and arms and ammunition;

by nine votes to six,
finds that India has not acted contrary toits obligations resulting
from Portugal's right of passage in respect ofvate persons, civil
officials and goods in general.

Done in English and French, the English text being authoritative,
at the Peace Palace, The Hague, this twelfth day of April, one
thousand nine hundred and sixty, in three copies, one of which will
be placed in the archives of the Court and the others transmitted
to the Government of the Portuguese Republic and to the Govern-
ment of the Republic of India, respectively.

(Signed) Helge KLAESTAD,
President.

(Signed) GARNIER-COIGNET,

Deputy-Registrar.

The PRESIDENTand Judges BASDEVANT B,ADAWI,KOJEVNIKOV

and SPIROPOULOa Sppend Declarations to the Judgment of the
Court.

Judge WELLINGTON KOOappends to the Judgment of the Court
a statement of hiseparate Opinion.

Judges WINIARSKIand BADAWIappend to the Judgment of the
Court a statement of their Joint Dissenting Opinion. Judges
ARMAND-UGONM , ORENOQUINTANAand Sir Percy SPENDER
and Judges ad hoc CHAGLAand FERNANDESappend to the
Judgment of the Court statements of their Dissenting Opinions.

(Initialied)G.-C.

Bilingual Content

INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE

REPORTS OF JUDGMENTS,

ADVISORY OPINIONS AND ORDERS

CASE CONCERNING
RIGHT OF PASSAGE OVER

INDIAN TERRITORY

(PORTUGAL v.INDIA)
MERITS

JUDGMENT OF 12APRIL 1960

COUR INTERNATIONALE DE JUSTICE

RECUEIL DES ARRÊTS,
AVIS CONSULTATIFS ET ORDONNANCES

AFFAIRE DU

DROIT DE PASSAGE
SUR TERRITOIRE INDIEN
(PORTUGAL c. INDE)

FOND

ARRÊT DU 12 AVRIL 1960 This Judgment should be cited as follows:
"Case concerningRight of Passage over Indian Territory (Me,its)
Jz~dgrnento12 April 1960: I.C.J. Report1960, p. 6."

Le présent arrêt doit êtrecité comme suit
(Afaire du droit de passage sur territoire indien (fond),
Arrêtdu 12 avril1960:C. I. J. Recuei1960,p. 6.»

Sales number
NOde vente: 226 1 INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE

12April
General List: YEAR 1960
NO.32
12Aprii1960

CASE CONCERNING

RIGHT OF PASSAGE OVER

INDIAN TERRITORY

(PORTUGAL v. INDIA)
MERITS

Jurisdiction of Court.-ûptional Clause.-Declaration of acceptanceof
+risdiction of Court.-Reservation of disputes as to mattersfalling within
domesticjurisdiction.-Jurisa dieftesubjectto reservationratione
temporis.-"Disputes" an"facts or situations" subseqspecified
date.
Mer2ts.-Judicial determinationof right c1aimed.-Maratha period.-
British and post-British periods.-Practice acceptedas law by Parties.-

Localcustom.-Question of right of passagein respectof private persons,
civil oficials, goodsin general, armedforces,armed police,and arms and
ammunition.-Exercise of powerof regulationand controlby Sovereignof
intervening territory.

JUDGMENT

Present:PresidentKLAESTA ;D Vice-PresidenZAFRULLAKHAN ;

Judges BASDEVANT ,ACKWORTH W, INIARSKI,BADAWI,
ARMAND-UGON,KOJEVNIKOV, MORENO QUINTANA,
CORDOVAW , ELLINGTON KOO, SPIROPOULOS S,irPercy
SPENDER; Judges ad hoc CHAGLA and FERNANDES;
Depzcty-RegzstrGARNIER-COIGNET.

4 COUR INTERNATIONALE DE JUSTICE

Le12avril
ANNEE 1960 Rale gCnéral
no32
12 ad 1960

AFFAIRE DU

DROIT DE PASSAGE

SUR TERRITOIRE INDIEN
(PORTUGAL c. INDE)

FOND

Compétencedlea Cour- Dispositionfacultat-vDéclaration portant
acceptation dela juridiction dela Cour.ervedesdiflérendsrelatifsd
des questionsrelevant dela compétnational-. Compétence reconnue
sousla réserratione temporis- « Différend»et«faits ou situati1)s
postérieuàsune date déterminée.
Fond. - Reconnaissancejudiciaire du droit prétend-. Période

mahratte. Périodesbritanniqueet post-britann-qPratique acceptée
par lesPartiescomme étanteroit. Coutumelocale- Questiondu droit
depassagefiourles personnes priv,sfonctionnairescivils,les marchan-
disesengénéral, fsrcesarméesl,apolicearmetlesarmesetmunitions.-
Exercicedu pouvoir de réglementatit de contrôlefiar le souveraindu
territoireintermédiaire.

Présents:M. KLAESTADP , résident; M. ZAFRULLA KHAN, Vice-
Président; MM. BASDEVANT H,ACKWORTH , INIARSKI,

BADAWI,ARMAND-UGON K,OJEVNIKOVM , ORENO QUIN-
TANA, CORDOVA,WELLINGTONKOO, SPIROPOULOS,
Sir Percy SPENDERJ ,uges;MM. CHAGLA et FERNANDES,
J~ges ad hoc; M. GARNIER-COIGNEG Tr,egieradjoint.

4 In the case concerning right of passage over Indian territory,

between

the Republic of Portugal,
represented by

Dr. Jo5.ode Barros Ferreira da Fonseca, Ambassador of Portugal
at The Hague,
as Agent,

and by
Professor Inocêncio Galv5.o Telles, Director of the Faculty of
Law in the University of Lisbon, Member of the Upper House,
as Agent, Advocate and Counsel,

assisted by
M. Maurice Bourquin, Professor of the Faculty of Law in the
University of Geneva and in the Graduate Institute of Inter-
national Studies,

as Advocate and Counsel,
and by

M. Guilherme Braga da Cruz, Director of the Faculty of Law in
the University of Coimbra, Member of the Upper House,
M. Pierre Lalive d'Épinay, Professor of the Faculty of Law in
the University of Geneva,
M. Joaquim Moreira da Silva Cunha, Professor of the Faculty of
Law in the University of Lisbon, Member of the Upper House,

as Counsel,
and by

M. Henrique Martins de Carvalho, Counsellor for Overseas
Affairs at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs,
M. Alexandre Marques Lobato, Secretary of the Centre for Over-
seas Historical Studies,

M. Jo5.ode Castro Mendes, Assistant in the Faculty of Law in the
University of Lisbon,
as Experts,
and by

M. José de Oliveira Ascens5.0,Assistant in the Faculty of Law
in the University of Lisbon,
M. Carlos Macieira Ary dos Santos, Secretary of the Embassy of
Portugal at The Hague,

M.Antonio Leal da Costa Lobo, Secretary of Legation,
as Secretaries,
5 En l'affaire du droit de passage sur territoire indien,

entre
la République du Portugal,
représentéepar

M. Joao de Barros Ferreira da Fonseca, ambassadeur du Portugal
àLa Haye,
comme agent,

et par
M. InocêncioGalviio Telles, directeur de la faculté de droit de
l'université de Lisbonne, membre de la Chambre Haute,
comme agent, avocat et conseil,

assistés de
M. Maurice Bourquin, professeur àla faculté de droit de l'univer-
sité de Genève et à l'Institut universitaire de hautes études
internationales,

comme avocat et conseil,
et de

M. Guilherme Braga da Cruz, directeur de la faculté de droit de
l'université de Coïmbre, membre de la Chambre Haute,
M. Pierre Lalive d'Épinay, professeur à la faculté de droit de
l'université de Genève,
M. Joaquim Moreira da Silva Cunha, professeur à la faculté de

droit del'université de Lisbonne,membre dela Chambre Haute,
comme conseils,
et de

M. Henrique Martins de Carvalho, conseiller pour l'outre-mer au
ministère des Affaires étrangères,
M. Alexandre Marques Lobato, secrétaire'du Centre d'études
historiques de l'outre-mer,

M. Joiio de Castro Mendes, assistant à la faculté de droit de
l'université de Lisbonne,
comme experts,

et de
M. José de Oliveira Ascensiio, assistant à la faculté de droit de
l'université de Lisbonne,
M. Carlos Macieira Ary dos Santos, secrétaire de l'ambassade du
Portugal à La Haye,

M. Antonio Leal da Costa Lobo, secrétaire de légation,
comme secrétaires,
5 and

the Republic of India,
represented by
Shri M. C. Setalvad, Attorney-General of India,
as Agent and Counsel,

assisted by
Maître Henri Rolin, Professor of International Law in the Free
University of Brussels, Advocate, Member of the Belgian
Senate,

The Rt. Hon. Sir Frank Soskice, Q.C., M.P., former Attorney-
General of England,
M. Paul Guggenheim, Professor of International Law of the Law
Faculty in the University of Geneva and in the Graduate
Institute of International Studies,
Professor C. H. M. Waldock, C.M.G., O.B.E., Q.C., Chichele
Professor of Public International Law in the University of
Oxford,

Mr. J.G. Le Quesne, Member of the English Bar,
asCounsel,
and by

Shri Vasant Govind Joshi,
Shri Vishwanath Govind Dighe,
Shri Vithal Tnmbak Gune,
Shri Leofredo Agenor de Gouvea Pinto,

Shri Ram Swarup Bhardwaj, from the GoaResearch Unit, Ministry
of External Affairs,
Shri Joao Francisco Caraciolo Cabral, of the Legal Department,
High Commission of India, London,
as Expert Advisers,

and by
Shri J. M. Mukhi, Legal Adviser in the Ministry of Extemal
Affairs,
as Assistant Agent and Secretary,

composed as above,

deliversthe followingJudgment :
By its Judgment of 26 November 1957 ,he Court rejected four
of six Preliminary Objections raised by the Government of India
to the jurisdiction of the Court to entertain an Application insti-

6 et
la République de l'Inde,

représentéepar
M. M. C. Setalvad, Attorney-Generalde l'Inde,
comme agent et conseil,

assisté de
Me Henri Rolin, professeur de droit international à l'université
libre de Bruxelles, avocat à la Cour, membre du Sénatbelge,

Le très honorable sir Frank Soskice, Q. CM. P., ancien Attorney-
Generald'Angleterre,

M. Paul Guggenheim, professeur de droit international à la
faculté de droit de l'université de Genèveeà l'Institut univer-
sitaire de hautes études internationales,
M. C. H. M. Waldock, C.M. G., O. B. E., Q.C., professeur de
droit international public à l'université d'Oxford (chaire
Chichele),
M.J. G. Le Quesne, membre du barreau anglais,
comme conseils,

et de
M. Vasant Govind Joshi,
M. Vishwanath Govind Dighe,

M. Vithal Trimbak Gune,
M. Leofredo Agenor de Gouvea Pinto,
M. Ram Swarup Bhardwaj, du service des recherches goanaises
au ministère des Affaires extérieures,

M. Joao ~rancisco Caraciolo Cabral, du département juridique de
la High Commission of India à Londres,
comme conseillers-experts,
et de

M. J. M. Mukhi, conseiller juridique au ministère des Affaires
extérieures,
comme agent adjoint et secrétaire,

ainsi composée,

rend l'arrêstuivant:

Par son arrêt du 26 novembre 1957 la Cour a rejeté quatre des
six exceptions préliminaires soulevées par le Gouvernement de
l'Inde à la compétence de la Cour pour connaître de la requête
6tuting proceedings by the Government of Portugal, filed on
22 December 1955, and joined the Fifth and the Sixth Objections
to the merits.

At the same time the Court ordered the resumption of the pro-
ceedings on the merits and fixed time-limitsfor the further plead-
ings. Requests for the extension of these time-limits were granted
by Orders of IO February 1958, 28 August 1958, 6 November 1958
and 17 January 1959, and the Counter-Memorial, Reply and
Rejoinder were filed within the time-limits so fixed. The case
became ready for hearing on the filing of the last pleading on
5 February 1959.
The Court included on the Bench Mr. Mahomed Ali Currim
Chagla, Ambassador of India to the United States and Mexico and
Minister of India to Cuba, and M. Manuel Fernandes, Director-
General of the Ministry of Justice of Portugal and a member of
the International Relations Section of the Upper House, who had
respectively been chosen by the Government of India and the

Government of Portugal, in accordance with Article 31, paragraph 3,
of the Statute, to sit as Judges ad hoc.
Public hearings were held on 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 28, 29 and
30 September, on 1, 2,3, 5, 6, g,10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20,
21,24,26,27,28,29,30 and 31 October, and on 3,4,5 and 6 Novem-
ber 1959. At these hearings the Court heard oral arguments and
replies by M. Galvii? Telles, M. Bourquin, M. Braga da Cruz,
M. Pierre Lalive d'Epinay and M. Moreira da Silva Cunha, on
behalf of the Government of Portugal, and by Shri Setalvad,
MeRolin,Sir Frank Soskice, M. Guggenheim and Professor Waldock,
on behalf of the Government of India.
In the course of the written and oral proceedings the following
Submissions were presented bythe Parties :

On behalf of the Government of Portugal,

in the Application:

"May it please the Court,
(a) To recognize and declare that Portugal is the holder or bene-
ficiary of a right of passage between its territory of Dam50 (littoral
Damgo) and its enclaved territories of Dadra and Nagar-Aveli, and
between each of the latter, and that this right comprises the faculty
of transit for persons and goods, including armed forces or other
upholders of law and order, without restrictions or difficulties and
in the manner and to the extent required by the effective exercise
of Portuguese sovereignty in the said territories.
(b) To recognize and declare that India has prevented and con-
tinues to prevent the exercise of the right in question, thus com-
mitting an offenceto the detriment of Portuguese sovereignty over
the enclaves of DadrA and Nagar-Aveli and violating its inter-
national obligations deriving from the above-mentioned sources
and from any others, particularly treaties, which may be applicable.introductive d'instance déposéepar le Gouvernement du Portugal
le 22 décembre 1955 et a joint au fond les cinquième et sixjème
exceptions préliminaires.
Dans ce mêmearrêt,la Cour a ordonné la reprise de la procédure
au fond et fixéles délais pour la suite de cette procédure. Par les
ordonnances du IO février 1958, du 28 août 1958, du 6 novembre

1958 et du 17 janvier 1959 il a étéfait droit à des demandes de
prorogation de ces délais et le contre-mémoire, la réplique et la
duplique ont étédéposésdans les délais ainsi fixés.Le 5 février1959,
date du dépôt de la dernière pièce, l'affaire s'est trouvée en état.

La Cour comptait sur le siège M. Mahomed Ali Currim Chagla,
ambassadeur de l'Inde aux Etats-Unis et au Mexique et ministre
de l'Inde à Cuba, et M. Manuel Fernandes, directeur généralau
ministère de la Justice du Portugal et membre de la section des
relations internationales de la Chambre Haute, qui avaient été
respectivement choisis par le Gouvernement de l'Inde et par le
Gouvernement du Portugal pour siégercomme juges ad hoc,confor-
mément à l'article31, paragraphe 3, du Statut.
Des audiences publiques ont ététenues les 21, 22, 23, 24,25, 26,
28, 29 et 30 septembre, les I~',2,3, 5,6, 9,IO, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17,
19,2o, 21, 24,26, 27,28,29,30 et31 octobre et les3,4,5 et 6 novem-
bre 1959. A ces audiences la Cour a entendu en leurs plaidoiries et

réponses MM. Galvao Telles, Bourquin,Braga da Cruz, Pierre Lalive
d'Epinay et Moreira da Silva Cunha au nom du Gouvernement du
Portugal et M. Setalvad, MeRolin, sir Frank Soskice et MM.Guggen-
heim et Waldock au nom du Gouvernement de l'Inde.

Au cours de la procédure écrite et orale, les conclusions ci-après
ont étéprises par les Parties:

Au nom du Gouvernementdu Portugal,
dans la requête:

«Plaiseà la Cour
a) Dire et juger que le Portugal est titulaire ou bénéficid'un
droit de passage entre son territoire de Dam20 (Dam50du littoral),
ses territoires enclavésde DadrAet de Nagar-Aveli et entre ceux-ci,
et que ce droit comprend la faculté detransit pour les personnes et
pour les biens, y compris les forces arméesou les autres soutiens
du droit et de l'ordre, sansrestrictions ou difficultéset de la manière
et dans la mesure requises par l'exerciceeffectif de la souveraineté
portugaisesur lesditsterritoires.
b) Dire et juger que l'Inde a empêché et continue à empêcher
l'exercice du droit dont il s'agit, attentant aià.la souveraineté
portugaise sur les enclaves portugaises de DadrA et de Nagar-Aveli
et violant ses obligations internationales dérivéesdes sources men-
tionnéesci-dessus et de toutes autres, en particulier les traités qui
pourraient êtreapplicables.
7 (c) To adjudge that India should put an immediate end to this
de facto situation by allowing Portugal to exercise the above-men-
tioned right of passage in the conditions herein set out."

In the Mernorial:
"May it please the Court,

I.To adjudge and declare:
(a) that Portugal has a right of passage through the territory of
India in order to ensure communications between its territory of
Daman (coastal Daman) and its enclaved territories of Dadra and
Nagar-Aveli ;
(b) that this right comprises the transit of persons and goods, as
well as the passage of representatives of the authorities and of

armed forces necessary to ensure the full exercise of Portuguese
sovereignty in the territories in question.
2.To adjudge and declare:
(a) that the Government of India must respect that right;

(b) that it must therefore abstain from any act capable of ham-
pering or impeding its exercise;
(c) that neither may it allow such acts to be carried out on its
territory ;
3. To adjudge and declare that the Governmeiit of India has acted
and continues to act contrary to the obligations recalled above;

4. To cal1 upon the Government of India to put an end to this
unlawful state of affairs."
As final Submissions filedon 6 October 1959:

"1.-Submissions relating to the Claims of Portugal
Whereas the claim of the Portuguese Government is designed to
secure: I. Recognition of the right possessed by Portugal to pass
over Indian territory to the extent necessary for the exercise of its
sovereignty over the enclaves of Dadra and Nagar-Aveli; 2. A
finding of India's failure to respect the obligation binding upon it
asthe result of that right.

A. As to Portugal's right of transit
Whereas the territories of Dadra and Nagar-Aveli, which are
undeniably under the sovereignty of Portugal, are wholly enclaved

within the territory of the Union of India;
Whereas the exercise of Portuguese sovereignty over these
territorieswould therefore be impossible if Portugal were not
assured of being able to communicate with them by passing over
the few kilometres of Indian territory separating them one from
another and from the coastal district of Daman;
Whereas the claim of India to possess in this connection a dis-
cretionary power is manifestly incompatible with that necessity;

Whereas indeed such a claim would entitle India to oppose the
communications of Portugal with its enclaves on grounds of which
8 c) Décider que l'Inde doit immédiatement mettre fin à cette
situation de fait en permettant au Portugal d'exercer le droit de
passage ci-dessus mentionné dans les conditions énoncéesplus
haut. 1)

Dans le mémoire:

(Plaise à la Cour:
I. De dire et juger:
a) que le Portugal a un droit de passage sur le territoire de l'Inde
en vue d'assurer les liaisons entre son territoire de Dam50 (Dam50
du littoral) et ses territoires enclavés de Dadra et de Nagar-Aveli;

b) que ce droit comporte le transit des personnes et des biens,
ainsi que le passage des représentants de l'autorité et des forces
armées nécessairespour assurer le plein exercice de la souveraineté
portugaise dans les territoires en question.
2. De dire et juger :

a) que le Gouvernement de l'Inde doit respecter ce droit;
b) qu'il doit s'abstenir, en conséquence, de tout acte susceptible
d'en entraver ou d'en compromettre l'exercice;
c) qu'il ne peut davantage laisser s'accomplir de tels actes sur
son territoire;

3. De dire et juger que le Gouvernement de l'Inde a agi et continue
d'agir contrairement aux obligationsrappelées ci-dessus;
4. De l'inviter à mettre fin à cet état de choses illicite. ))

Comme conclusions finales déposées le 6 octobre 1959 :
« 1. Conclusionsrelativesaux demandesdu Portugal

Attendu que la demande du Gouvernement portugais apour objet :
IO la reconnaissance du droit que le Portugal possède de transiter
par le territoire indien dans la mesure nécessaire à l'exercice de
sa souveraineté sur les enclaves de Dadra et de Nagar-Aveli; 2" la
constatation des manquements de l'Inde à l'obligation résultant
pour elle de ce droit.

A. En cequi concernele droitde transit du Portugal
Attendu queles territoires de Dadra et de Nagar-Aveli, quirelèvent
incontestablement de la souveraineté du Portugal, se trouvent
complètement enclavés dans le territoire de l'Union indienne;

Attendu que l'exercice de la souveraineté portugaise sur ces terri-
toires serait donc impossible si le Portugal n'était pas assuré de
pouvoir communiquer avec eux en passant par les quelques kilo-
mètres de territoire indien qui les séparent l'un de l'autre, ainsi que
de l'arrondissement côtier de Damgo;
Attendu que la prétention de l'Inde de disposer à cet égard d'une
compétence discrétionnaire est manifestement incompatible avec
cette nécessité;

Attendu, en effet, que cette prétention permettrait à l'Inde de
s'opposer aux communications du Portugal avec ses enclaves, pour
8 India would be the sole judge and whenever India considered that
its convenience or its interests led it to adopt such an attitude;

Whereas the international legal system is essentially based upon
mutual respect of sovereignties ;
Whereas the Union of India has unequivocally recognized the
sovereignty of Portugal over the two enclaves just as indeed it had
been recognized by the previous sovereigns of the Indian territory;

Whereas, by that recognition, the Union of India and its prede-
cessors admitted that the existence of the two Portuguese enclaves
within Indian territory was a part of the legal system and undertook
to respect that situation;
Whereas, in order to justify the discretionary power which the
Union of India claims to possess in respect of Portuguese transit,
it would be necessary to accept that, while recognizing the sover-

eignty of Portugal over the enclaves, it tacitly reserved a right at
its will to render impossible the exercise of that sovereignty;
Whereas such a reservation cannot logically be admitted and would
be contrary to the elementary requirements of good faith;

Whereas the right claimed by Portugal is moreover confirmed by
the agreements which it formerly concluded with the Marathas, by
local custom and by general custom, as well as by the concordance of
municipal legal systems with respect to access to enclaved land;

Whereas, indeed, the above-mentioned agreements cannot be
construed otherwise than as granting to Portugal the right of pas-
sage necessary for the exercise of the powers which those agreements
conferred upon it in the enclaves;

Whereas, furthermore, in the relations between Portugal and the
successive sovereigns of the territories adjoining the enclaves there
was established and consolidated in the course of nearly two cen-
turies, an unbroken practice in respect of the maintenance of the
indispensable communications between coastal Daman and the
enclaves; and whereas that practice was based, on the part of al1
concerned, on the conviction that what was involved was a legal
obligation (ofiiniojuris sive necessitatis;
Whereas general custom likewise fully confirms the right claimed

by Portugal; whereas the practice of States reveals no disagreement
in this' connection; whereas, while. the conditions of the exercise
of the right of passage naturally Vary according to the circumstances,
the right of the sovereign of the enclave to have with the enclave
the communications necessary for the exercise of sovereignty is
universally admitted, and whereas it would be impossible to contend
that that unanimity and uniformity do not bear witness to a con-
viction of the existence of a legal duty(ofiinioiuris sive necessitati;)
Whereas, lastly, the municipal laws of the civilized nations are
unanimous in recognizing that the holder of enclaved land has a
right, for purposes of access to it, to pass through adjoining land;
whereas it is rare to find a principle more clearly emerging from the

universal practice of States in foro domestico and more perfectlydes raisons dont elle serait seule juge et dès qu'elle estimerait que
ses convenances ou ses intérêtsla poussent àprendre pareipe attitude ;

Attendu que l'ordre juridique international est essentiellement
fondésur le respect réciproque des souverainetés;
Attendu que l'Union indienne a reconnu sans équivoque la
souveraineté du Portugal sur les deux enclaves, de mêmed'ailleurs
quel'avaient reconnue les souverains précédents du territoire indien;

Attendu que, par cette reconnaissance, l'Union indienne et ses
prédécesseursont admis que l'existence des deux enclaves portu-
gaises à l'intérieur du territoire indien faisait partie de l'ordre
juridique et se sont engagésà respecter cette situation;
Attendu que, pour justifier le pouvoir discrétionnaire dont l'Union
indienne prétend disposer à l'égard dutransit portugais, il faudrait
donc admettre que, tout en reconnaissant la souveraineté du Portu-
gal sur les enclaves, elle se serait réservétacitement la faculté de
rendre impossible, à son gr&,l'exercice de cette souveraineté;

Attendu qu'une telle réserve ne peut logiquement êtreadmise et
serait contraire aux exigences élémentaires de la bonne foi;
Attendu que le droit revendiqué par le Portugal est d'ailleurs
confirmé par les accords qu'il a conclus jadis avec les Mahrattes,
par la coutume locale et par la coutume générale, ainsique par la
conformité des droits internes en ce qui concernel'accès aux terrains

enclavés;
Attendu, en effet, que les accords mentionnés ne peuvent man-
quer d'être interprétésqiie comme concédant au Portugal le droit
de passage nécessaire àl'exercice despouvoirs que les mêmesaccords
lui ont octroyés sur les enclaves;
Attendu, en outre, que dans les relations entre le Portugal et
les souverains successifs des territoires voisins des enclaves, il s'éta-
blit et se consolida, au cours de près de deux siècles, une pratique
ininterrompue tendant au maintien des liaisons indispensables

entre Dam50 littoral et les enclaves; et que cette pratique était, de
part et d'autre, assise sur la conviction qu'il s'agissait d'une obli-
gation juridique (opiniojuris sive necessitatis )

Attendu que la coutume généraleapporte, elle aussi, la pleine
confirmation du droit revendique. par le Portugal; que la pratique
des États ne révèleaucune discordance à ce sujet; que, si les moda-
lités du droit de passage varient naturellement suivant les circons-
tances, le droit, pour le souverain de l'enclave, d'avoir avec elle
les communications nécessaires à l'exercice de sa souveraineté est
admis sans exception, et qu'il serait impossible de prétendre que
cette constance et cette uniformité n'attestent pas la conviction
d'un devoir juridique (opiniojuris sive necessitatis)

Attendu enfin que les droits internes des nations civi1isC.e~ sont
unanimes à reconnaître que le titulaire d'un fonds enclavé a le droit,
pour y accéder, de passer par les fonds intermédiaires; qu'il est rare
de trouver un principe se dégageant plus manifestement de la pra-
tique universelle des I?tats in forodomestico et répondant plus par-meeting the requirements of Article 38, paragraph I (c), of the
Statute of the Court ;
Whereas each of the titles invoked by Portugal would in itself be
sufficient to justify the right which it is claiming and whereas these
titles reinforce each other and their coexistence reveals the solidity
of their common basis;
Whereas Portugal is in no sense claiming a right of access to

Indian territory, but merely a right of transit, designed to assure
the communications between the enclaves themselves and between
the enclaves and the coastal district of Daman ;
Whereas this right of transit is claimed only to the extent neces-
sary for the exercise of Portuguese sovereignty over the enclaves;

Whereas in claiming this right Portugal in no way disputes that
sovereignty over the territory, through which transit must be effect-
ed, belongs exclusively to India; whereas it is in no way claiming to
be entitled to withdraw persons or goodsin transit from the exercise

of that sovereignty, and does not directly or indirectly seek for
them any immunity ;
Whereas the transit forming the subject-matter of its claim
therefore remains subject to the regulation and control of India,
which must exercise these by taking, in good faith and on its own
responsibility, the necessary decisions;
Whereas Portugal merely asserts that the territorial competence
of India is not in this respect a discretionary competence, since
India is obliged, on its own responsibility, not to prevent the
transit necessary for the exercise of Portuguese sovereignty in the
enclaves ;

\lThereas the Indian Government contends that the subject-
matter of the Portuguese claim is too vague for the Court to be able
to pass upon it bythe application only of the legal rules enumerated
in Article 38, paragraph 1,of the Statute; whereas, however, that
contention fails to stand up to examination;
Whereas, indeed, the riles of international law referred to in
paragraph I of Article38 are far frorn necessarily requiring greater
precision than those upon which the Portuguese Government relies,
which are recalled above;

For these reasons,
May it please the Court

To adjudge and declare
that the right of passage between the enclaves of Dadra and Nagar-
Aveli and between these enclaves and the coastal district of Daman,
as defined above, is a right possessed by Portugal and which must
be respected by India.

B. As to thefailure of India to respectits obligatioîz
Whereas the attitude of the Indian Government with regard to
Portuguese transit changed in the last months of the year 1953,
after Portugal's refusal to accede to the request for the cession of
its territories in India (Rejoinder, paragraph 417 )faitement aux exigences de l'article 38, paragraphe 1,lettre c),du
Statut de la Cour;
Attendu que chacun des titres invoqués par le Portugal suffirait
pour justifier le droit qu'il revendique, mais qu'ils se renforcent les
uns les autres et que leur coexistence fait ressortir la solidité de leur
fondement commun;

Attendu que le Portugal ne revendique aucunement un droit
d'accès au territoire indien, mais simplement un droit de transit,
destiné à assurer les communications entre ses enclaves elles-mêmes
et entre celles-ci et l'arrondissement côtier de Damgo;
Attendu que ce droit de transit n'est revendiqué que dans la
mesure nécessaire à l'exercice de la souveraineté portugaise dans les
enclaves ;

Attendu qu'en revendiquant ce droit, le Portugal ne conteste
aucunement que la souveraineté appartient exclusivement à l'Inde
sur le territoire par lequel le transit doit s'effectuer; qu'il ne prétend
aucunement soustraire les personnes et les biens en transit à l'exer-
cice de cette souveraineté, et qu'il ne demande pour eus, ni directe-
ment, ni indirectement, aucune immunité;
Attendu que le transit faisant l'objet de sa demande reste donc
soumis à la réglementation et au contrôle de l'Inde, qui doit les
exercer, en prenant, de bonne foi et sous sa responsabilité, les
décisionsnécessaires;
Attendu que le Portugal affirme simplement que la compétence

territoriale de l'Inde n'est pas, à cet égard, une compétence discré-
tionnaire, l'Inde étant obligée, sous sa responsabilité, de ne pas
empêcherle transit nécessaire à l'exercice de la souveraineté portu-
gaise dans le$ enclaves;
Attendu que le Gouvernement indien prétend que l'objet de la
demande portugaise serait trop vape pour que la Cour pût se
prononcer à son sujet par la seule application des règles de droit
énuméréesà l'article 38, paragraphe 1, du Statut; mais que cette
prétention ne résiste pas à l'examen;
Attendu, en effet, que les règles de droit international visées

au paragraphe I de l'article 38 sont loin de comporter nécessaire-
ment une plus grande précision que celles sur lesquelles s'appuie
le Gouvernement portugais et qui sont rappelées ci-dessus;
Par ces motifs
Plaise à la Cour

Dire et juger
que le droit de passage entre les enclaves de Dadra et de Nagar-
Aveli et entre celles-ci et l'arrondissement côtier de Damao, tel
qu'il est définici-dessus, existe au profit du Portugal et doit être
respecté par l'Inde.

B. En cequi concerneles manquements de L'Inde
Attendu que l'attitude du Gouvernement indien à l'égard du

transit portugais s'est modifiée dans les derniers mois de l'année
1953, à la suite du refus opposé par le Portugal à la demande de
cession de ses territoires de l'Inde (duplique, paragraphe417 ;) Whereas this change was marked in the first instance by a series
of restrictions which, while not immediately rendering impossible
the exercise of Portuguese sovereignty in the enclaves, undeniably
gravely impeded it and were such as to be liable to paralyse it com-
pletely if exceptional events occurred which obliged Portugal to
take rapid measures to ensure the maintenance of order at Dadra
and Nagar-Aveli (Memorial, Annex 40) ;

Whereas the threat of action directed against the Portuguese
ernment was unaware; whereas the imminence of that action hadn Gov-
moreover been publicly announced on many occasionsand in partic-
ular on 2 July 1954,in a manifesto, adopted at Bombay by perçons
directing anti-Portuguese groups, which was reproduced in the
Indian Press (Indian Annex A. No. 7) ;

Whereas it was clearlyincumbent upon the Indian Government to
take the measures which lay in its power to prevent the realization
of such a design (Judgrnent of the Court of 9 Aprjl1949, in the Corfu
Channel Case,Reports,p. 22) ;
Whereas the Indian Government took no such measures but, on
the contrary, did not hesitate still further to weaken Portugal's
capacity for resistance against the danger which threatened it, by
increasing the restrictions placedupon transit (Note from the Consul-
General of India at Goa, dated 17 July 1954, notifying the Portu-
guese Governor-General of a series of immediate measures, including
in particular a prohibition of the transport of munitions and military
equipment-Memorial, Annex 47) ;
Whereas a week elapsed between the occupation of Dadra (during
the night 21/22 July) andthe expedition against Nagar-Aveliwhich,
having been begun on 29 July, was completed only in August;
Whereas after the occupation of Dadra, there could be no doubt
that a similar action would be undertaken against Nagar-Aveli, the
larger of the two Portuguese enclaves;

Whereas moreover, as early as 23 July, the President of the
so-called 'United Front of Goans' and leader of the expedition
against Dadra, publicly announced that this would take place and
thatthe action would be begun as soon as the necessary preparations
were completed (Observations on the Preliminary Objections,
Annex 1, Appendix 2) ;
Whereas the Indian Government took no step to prevent that
second expedition ;
Whereas, so far from thus performing itsduty towards Portugal,
it firmly opposed al1communications of Portugalwith the enclaves;

Whereas, while the Parties are in disagreement on the question
whether communications between Daman and the enclaves had
been completely cut beforethe operation against Dadra, it is in any
event certain that the isolation of the two enclaves had become
complete immediately after the occupation of Dadra and before the
expedition against Nagar-Aveli;DROIT DE PASSAGE SUR TERRITOIRE INDIEN (ARRÊT 12 IV 60)
13
Attendu que cette modification fut caractériséetout d'abord par
une série derestrictions, qui, sans rendre immédiatement impossible
l'exercice de la souveraineté portugaise dans les enclaves, y appor-
taient incontestablement de sérieuses entraves et pouvaient être
de nature à le paralyser complètement si des événements excep-

tionnels survenaient qui obligeraient le Portugal à prendre des
mesures rapides pour assurer le maintien de l'ordre à Dadra et à
Nagar-Aveli (mémoire, annexe 40);
Attendu que la menace d'une action dirigéecontre les territoires
portugais de l'Inde ne pouvait êtreignorée du Gouvernement in-
dien; que l'imminence de cette action avait d'ailleurs étéannoncée
publiquement et à maintes reprises, et notamment le 2juillet 1954,
dans un manifeste adopté à Bombay par des personnalités dirigean-

tes des milieux anti-portugais et reproduit par la presse indienne
(annexe indienne A, no 7);
Attendu qu'il incombait évidemment au Gouvernement indien
de prendre les mesures en son pouvoir pour prévenir la réalisation
d'un tel dessein (arrêtde la Cour du 9 avril 1949 dans l'affaire du
DétroitdeCodou,Recueil, p. 22);

Attendu que le Gouvernement indien n'a pris aucune mesure de
ce genre et qu'il n'a pas hésité,au contraire, à affaiblir encore la
capacité de résistance du Portugal au danger qui le menaçait, en
aggravant les restrictions apportées à son transit (note du consul
généralde l'Inde à Goa, en date du 17juillet 1954, avisant le gouver-
neur généralportugais d'une série de mesures immédiates, compre-
nant notamment l'interdiction de transport de munitions et de
matériel militaire - mémoire, annexe 47);

Attendu qu'une semaine s'est écouléeentre l'occupation de Dadra
(pendant la nuit du 21 au 22 juillet) et l'expédition contre Nagar-
Aveli, qui, entamée le 29 juillet, ne se termina qu'en août;
Attendu qu'après l'occupation de Dadra, il ne pouvait faire
aucun doute qu'une action analogue serait entreprise contre Nagar-
Aveli, la plus grande des deux enclaves portugaises;

Attendu que, dès le 23 juillet, d'ailleurs, le président du soi-
disant ((Front Uni des Goanais » et chef de l'expédition contre
Dadra, annonça publiquement qu'il en serait ainsi et que l'action
se déclencherait dès que les préparatifs nécessaires.seraient termi-
nés (observations sur les exceptions préliminaires, annexe 1, appen-
dice 2) ;

Attendu que le Gouvernement indien ne prit aucune mesure pour
empêchercette seconde expédition;
Attendu que, loin deremplir ainsi son devoir àl'égarddu Portugal,
il s'opposa rigoureusement à toutes communications de ce dernier
avec les enclaves;

Attendu que, si les Parties sont en désaccordsur le point de savoir
si les communications de Dam50 avec les enclaves avaient étéen-
tièrement coupées ava~ztl'opération contre Dadra, il est en tout cas
avéréque l'isolement des deux enclaves était devenu complet au
lendemain de l'occupation de Dadra et avant l'expédition contre
Nagar-Aveli ; Whereas, as from that time no further transit visa was granted,
either to Portuguese or to persons in the service of the Portuguese
Government, for the purpose of going to Dadra or to Nagar-Aveli
(Counter-Memorial, paragraph 211) ;

Whereas on 24 July the Portuguese Government requested the
necessary transit facilities for the despatch of reinforcements to
Dadra (Memorial,Annex 50); whereas on 26 July, while confirming
the earlier request, it asked that a few delegates of the Governor of
Daman (if necessary limited to three) should be enabled to go to
Nagar-Aveli, in order to enter into contact with the population,
examine the situation, and take the necessary measures on the spot
(Memorial, Annex 5 1);

Whereas, in a note of 28 July, the Government of India refused
these two requests (Memorial,Annex 52) ;
Whereas, at that time, the occupation of Nagar-Aveli existed only
as a threat and whereas it is consequently established that before

any occupation of the enclave, Portugal found itself completely cut
off from the enclave as a result exclusively of the will of India;
Whereas the attitude adopted by India is thus in two respects
contrary to the duty imposed upon it by international law, since
instead of protecting Portugal against the unlawful enterprise with
which the latter was threatened, it placed Portugal in a situation
in which it was impossible for that State to defend itself against
that enterprise;

~herea;, since that date, the prohibitions imposed by India
in respect of Portu'guese transit have been maintained without
exception, thus enabling those who profited by them to consolidate
their position in the enclaves;
For these reasons,

May it please the Court
To adjudge and declare
- -
that India has not complied with the obligations incumbent
upon it by virtue of Portugal's right of passage.

II.-Submissions relating to the various arguments propounded by
the Indian Governmentas to the egect of the present circumstances on
the exerciseof the right ûfpassage

Whereas India contends, in the event of the right of passage
claimed by Portugal being upheld by the Court, that that right
cannot be exercised in the present circumstances;

Whereas, if this contention were well-founded, its only effect could
in any case be to suspend temporarily, and to the extent necessary,
the exercise of the right of passage, without affecting the existence
of that right itself ;
Whereas it is clearly for India to establish the basis for its con-
tention;

Whereas India asserts that the present situation is characterized
by a general insurrection of the population of the enclaves; whereas, Attendu qu'à partir de ce moment, aucun visa de transit ne fut
plus accordé, ni aux Portugais, ni aux personnes se trouvant au
service du Gouvernement portugais, pour se rendre à Daha ou
à Nagar-Aveli (contre-mémoire, paragraphe 211) ;

Attendu que le 24 juillet le Gouvernement portugais demanda les
facilités de transit nécessaires pour l'envoi de renforts à Dadra
requête précédente,il demanda que quelques délégués en condu gouver-
neur de Dam20 (au besoin limités au nombre de trois) puissent se
rendre à Nagar-Aveli, afin d'entrer en contact avec la population,
d'examiner la situation et de prendre sur place les mesures néces-
saires (mémoire,annexe 51);

Attendu que, par une note du 28 juillet, le Gouvernement de
l'Inde opposa un refus à cette double demande (mémoire,annexe 52) ;
~ttendu qu'à ce moment, l'occupation de Nagar-Aveli n'existait
encore qu'àl'étatdemenace et qu'ilestparconséquentétabli qu'avant
toute occupation de l'enclave, le Portugal se trouva complètement
isoléd'elle par la volonté exclusive del'Inde;
Attendu que l'attitude prise par l'Inde est donc doublement
contraire au devoir que le droit international lui prescrivait,puis-
qu'au lieu de protéger le Portugal contre l'entreprise illicite qui le
menaçait, elle l'a mis dans l'impossibilitéde se défendrecontre elle;

Attendu que, depuis lors, les mesures prohibitives prises par
l'Inde à l'égard du transit portugais ont étéinvariablement main-
tenues, permettant ainsi aux bénéficiairesde cesmesures de consoli-
der leur position dans les enclaves;
Par ces motifs

Plaiseà la Cour
Dire et juger
que l'Inde ne 's'estpas conforméeaux obligationsquelui impose le
droit de passage du Portugal.

II. - Conclusions relatives aux dioérentesthèsessoutenues par le
Gouvernementde l'Inde, quant à l'egetdes circonstancespésentessur
l'exercicedu droitde fiassage

Attendu que l'Inde soutient, en se plaçant dans l'hypothèse où le
droit de passage revendiquépar le Portugal serait admis par la Cour,
que ce droit ne pourrait pas êtreexercédans les circonstances prC-
sentes ;
Attendu que, si cette prétention était fondée, elle ne pourrait
avoir, en tout cas,pour effet que de suspendre temporairement, et
dans la mesure nécessaire,l'exercice du droit de passage, sans porter
atteinte à l'existence même dece droit;
Attendu qu'il appartient évidemment iil'Inde d'établir le fonde-
ment de sa prétention;
Attendu qu'elle affirme que la situation présente se caractérise-
rait notamment par une insurrection généralede la population deshowever, thisinterpretation of the facts, whichis formally challenged
by Portugal, is far from findingconfirmation in the evidencesupplied
by the Indian Government and whereas this interpretation, on the
contrary, runs counter to a number of factors which render that
interpretation improbable;
Whereas, furthermore, even if the existence of an insurrectional

movement were established, the legal consequences which India
seeks to deduce therefrom would nonetheless be devoid offoundation;
Whereas Portugal has never renounced its sovereignty over the
enclaves and whereas it was, from the very beginning, prevented
from taking in the enclaves the measures necessary for the restora-
tion of order;

Whereas if Portugal's action has thus been paralysed it is because
India has opposed it by depriving the Portuguese authorities of all
communication with the enclaves;
Whereas India is therefore not entitled in any case to impair,
in any form, the right ofsovereignty which belongs to Portugal alone;

Whereas it is in the light of this fundamental observation that
it is necessary to examine the various arguments propounded bythe
Indian Government in support of its contention that the exercise of
the right of passage ought to be suspended in the present circum-
stances ;

A. As to India's right to adopt an attitude of neutralityin the conflict
betweenthe lawful Governmentand the allegedinsurgents

Whereas there has been no recognition of belligerency in the
present case ;

Whereas, in the absence of such recognition, no obligation of
neutrality is incumbent upon third States, and whereas, if thelatter
are entitled in such cases, in order to safeguard their interests, to
take certain measures analogous to those provided for bythe regime
of neutrality, what is then involved is in any event only a right
and not a legal duty ;
Whereas India could not avail itself of that right for the purpose
of evading the obligations binding upon it as a result of Portugal's
right of passage; and whereas any conflict between that right and
those obligations could only be resolved in favour of the obligations;

Whereas, moreover, the very concept of neutrality can clearly
only apply in a case of conflict between the lawful Government
and the insurgents if the State relying thereon is not involved in
that conflict ;
Whereas this is certainly not so in the present case, since the
cause of the so-called insurgents is merged with that of India, their
efforts being directed, through different means, to the achievement
of one and the same end, namely, the incorporation of the enclaves
in the territory of the Indian Union;

Whereas, while the sympathy felt by a State for one or the other
of two adversaries does not prevent that State from adopting anenclaves; mais que cette interprétation des faits, formellement
contestée par le Portugal, est loin d'êtrecorroborée par les éléments
de preuve apportés par le Gouvernement indien, et qu'elle se heurte,
au contraire, à diverses constatations qui la rendent invraisemblable;

Attendu au surplus que, si l'existence d'un mouvement insurrec-
tionnel était établie, les conséquences juridiques que l'Inde croit
pouvoir en tirer ne seraient pas moins dénuéesde fondement;
Attendu que le Portugal n'a jamais renoncé à sa souveraineté sur
les enclaves et qu'il s'est trouvé empêché,dèsle début, d'y prendre
les mesures nécessaires au rétablissement de l'ordre;

Attendu que si l'action du Portugal a étéainsi paralysée, c'est
parce que l'Inde s'y est opposée, enprivant les autorités portugaises
de toute communication avec les enclaves;
Attendu que l'Inde ne peut donc en tout cas porter atteinte, sous
quelque forme que ce soit, au droit de souveraineté dont le Portugal
reste le seul titulaire;

Attendu que c'est sousle bénéficede cette observation fondamen-
tale que doivent êtreexaminées les différentes thèses sur lesquelles
s'appuie le Gouvernement indien pour prétendre que l'exercice du
droit de passage devrait être suspendu dans les circonstances ac-
tuelles;

A. En ce qui concernele droit de l'Inde d'adopter une attitude de
neutralitédans le conflit entre le Gouvernementlégalet les firé-
tendus insurgés
Attendu qu'aucune reconnaissance de belligérance n'a eu lieu
en l'espèce;
~ttendu qu'à défaut d'une telle reconnaissance, aucune obliga-
tion de neutralité n'existe à charge des États tiers et que, si ces

derniers ont le droit de prendre, en pareil cas,pour la sauvegarde de
leurs intérêts,certaines mesures analogues à celles que prescrit le
régime de la neutralité, ce n'est là pour eux, en tout cas, qu'une
facultéet non un devoirjuridique;
Attendu que l'Inde ne pas faire usage de cette faculté
pour se dérober aux obligations découlant pour elle du droit de
passage du Portugal; qu'un conflit entre ladite faculté et lesdites
obligations ne pourrait se résoudre qu'au profit de ces dernières;
~itendu au demeurant que la notion mêmede neutralité ne peut
évidemment s'appliquer, en cas de conflit entre le Gouvernement
légalet les insurgés, que si l'État qui s'en prévaut est étranger à ce
conflit ;

Attendu qu'il n'en est certainement pas ainsi en l'espèce, étant
donné que la cause des soi-disant insurgés se confond avec celle de
l'Inde, leurs efforts concourant, par des voies différentes, à la réali-
sation d'un seul et même objectif, à savoir l'incorporation des
enclaves au territoire de l'Union indienne;
Attendu que si les sympathies éprouvées par un État pour l'un
ou l'autre des deux adversaires ne l'empêchent pas d'adopter une16 RIGHT OF PASSAGE OVER INDIAN TERRITORY (JUDGM. 12 IV 60)
attitude of neutrality in the confict between them, the position is
not the same when the design pursued by one of them forms an
integral part ofthe policy openly practised bythe said State; whereas
it is indeed impossible to be neutral in one's own cause;
Whereas India cannot therefore justify a suspension of the exer-
cise of the right of passage by the argument based on its alleged
neutrality;

B. As totheapplicationoftheprovisionsof the UnitedNations Charter
relating to human rights and to theright of self-determinationof
peoples
Whereas in cases of insurrection the rights and obligations of
foreign Statesin relation to the lawful Government are governed by
a body of rules which form a part of general international law and
whereas India is under a further obligation in relation to Portugal,
which is binding upon it as a result of Portugal's right of passage;
Whereas India contends that the legal regime thus determined is
modified by Articles 1,55, 56 and 62 of the United Nations Charter,
in the sense that these Articles lay upon it an obligation to 'abstain
from action which is diametrically opposed to the whole purpose
and spirit of those Articles' (Rejoinder, paragraph 640) ;
Whereas the terms in which this assertion is couched disclose the
uncertainty felt by India itself with regard to the exact scope of its
argument ;
Whereas India recognizes moreover that the principles of the
Charter to which it has referred can be regarded as ethical principles
and not as legal principles and whereas India seeks, on the other
hand, to disregard, in so far as these principles are concerned, the
provisions of Article 38, paragraph 1, of the Statute of the Court
(Rejoinder, paragraph 641) ;
Whereas these considerations would, if necessary, sufficeto dispose
of its contention,since the Parties to the present dispute have only
accepted the compulsory jurisdiction of the Court subject to the
conditions laid down in the Statute of the Court;

Whereas, however, the provisions of Articles 1, 55, 56 and 62
now before the Court; Charter arenot at al1involved in the dispute

Whereas while Portugal has a legitimate desire to restore the
order which has been disturbed by the violent action of hostile
elements which penetrated into the enclaves in 1954, it does not
propose in any way to disregard the duties laid upon it by the
United Nations Charter;
Whereas on the other hand, the Indian Government, whilst
relying on these Articles in refusing to allow Portugal to exercise
its right of passage, does not hesitate to declare that, in the event
of the populations concemed opting in favour of the maintenance
of Portuguese sovereignty, India would not be disposed to tolerate
India before the Rajya Sabha-Observations955by theon the Preliminary
Objections, Annex 1, Appendix 4, p. 16), which constitutes the very
negation of the right of self-determination of peoples ;

14 attitude de neutralité dans le conflit qui les oppose, il n'en est pas de
mêmequand le dessein poursuivi par l'un d'entre eux fait partie
intégrante de la politique ouvertement pratiquée par ledit État;
qu'il est impossible, en effet, d'êtreneutre dans sa propre cause;
Attendu, par conséquent, que l'Inde ne peut pas justifier une
suspension de l'exercice du droit de passage par l'argument tiré
de sa prétendue neutralité;

B. En ce qui concerneZ'apfilicationdes dispositions de la Chartedes
Nations Uniesrelativesaux droitsde l'homrneetau droitdes+euples
à disposerd'eux-mêmes
Attendu qu'en cas d'insurrection, les droits et les obligations des
États étrangers vis-à-vis du Gouvernement légal sont régispar un
ensemble de normes faisant partie du droit international généralet

que l'Inde se trouve soumise en outre, vis-à-vis du Portugal, à
l'obligation découlant pour elle du droit de passage de ce dernier;
Attendu qu'elle prétend que le régime juridique ainsi déterminé
serait modifiépar les articles 1,55,56 et 62 de la Charte des Nations
Unies, en ce sens que ces articles l'obligeraient à(s'abstenir de toute
action qui serait diamétralement opposée à leur but et à leur esprit,
considérésdans leur ensemble 1)(duplique, paragraphe 640) ;
Attendu que les termes da? lesquels cette affirmation est énoncée
dénotent l'incertitude que l'Inde éprouve elle-mêmequant à l'exacte
portée de sa thèse;

Attendu qu'elle reconnaît d'ailleurs que les principes de la Charte
auxquels elle se réfèrepourraient être considérés comme des prin-
cipes de morale et non comme des principes juridiques, et qu'elle
s'efforce d'autre part d'écarter, en ce qui les concerne, les dispo-
sitions de l'article38,paragraphe 1,du Statut de la Cour (duplique,
paragraphe 641) ;
Attendu qu'il suffirait, à la rigueur, de ces constatations pour faire
justice de sa prétention, les Parties au présent litige n'ayant accepté
la juridiction .obligatoire de la Cour que dans les conditions fixées
par son Statut;

Mais attendu que les dispositions des articles 1,55, 56 et 62 de la
Charte des Nations Unies ne sont aucunement en jeu dans la contes-
tation dont la Cour est saisie;
Attendu que, si le Portugal a le souci légitime de rétablir l'ordre
troublé par l'action violente des éléments hostiles qui ont pénétré
dans les enclaves en 1954, il n'entend aucunement méconnaître
les devoirs que lui impose la Charte des Nations Unies;

Attendu, en revanche, que le Gouvernement de l'Inde, tout en
invoquant ces articles pour refuser au Portugal l'exercice de son

droit de passage, n'hésite pas à déclarer que, dans le cas où les popu-
lations intéresséesopteraient pour le maintien de la souveraineté
portugaise, il ne serait pas disposé à le tolérer (déclaration faite le
6 septembre 1955 par le premier ministre de l'Inde devant le Rajya
Sabha - observations sur les exceptions préliminaires, annexe 1,
appendice 4, p.16), ce qui est la négation mêmedu droit des peuples
à disposer d'eux-mêmes;C. As to theargument thatthe existencein theenclavesof a $rovisional
de facto loctrlgovernment,whichis not representedbeforetheCou.rt,
deharsthe Court from adjudicating,in the present circumstances,
on thePortugueseclaim

Whereas this argument can find no basis either in the Statute
of the Court or in the declarations by which the Parties have accept-
ed its compulsory jurisdiction; whereas these declarations contain a
exclusively confined to those expressed, none of which relates to the
contingency now contemplated by India;

Whereas, nevertheless, to justify its contention, India invokes
the principle applied by the Court in its Judgment of 15 June 1954
in the case concerning MonetcaryGoldremovedfrom Rome;
Whereas this is the principle which makes the jurisdiction of the
Court dependent upon the consent of the States concerned; whereas
this is indeed a fundamental principle which is manifestly embodied
in the Statute; whereas, however, this principle is entirely irrelevant
to the present case;
Whereas the Court is not called upon to adjudicate upon an
international dispute to which the alleged de facto government of
the enclaves is a party and in respect of which the Court cannot
therefore exercise jurisdiction without that de facto government's
consent ;

Whereas it is not sufficient, to prevent the Court from exercising
jurisdiction, that the dispute before it should interest a third party
and thatthat third party should not be represented before the Court,
even if that third party be a State;
Whereas, not only can the alleged de facto government of the
enclaves not be regarded on any ground asthe organ of a State but it
does not even possess intemational legal personality ;

Whereas it constitutes no more than a provisional de facto ad-
ministration ; and whereas such an administration possesses no legal
personality on the international plane so long as that administration
has not been recognized;

event of recognition exists only to theonextent that such recognition
has granted it;

Whereas the Government of India purports to have recognized the
present administration of the enclaves as a provisional defacto
administration, but whereas this declaration, made for the first time
in the Counter-Memorial, is incompatible with the declaration which
appears at paragraph 16 of the Preliminary Objections to the effect
that the Govemment of India had not up to that time had any
relations with that administration; whereas the alleged recognition
was therefore subsequent to the filing of the Preliminary Objections
(April 1957) ;whereas it was even subsequent to the oral argument
which took place before the Court on those Preliminary Objections
from 23 September to II October 1957; C. En ce qui concernela thèsesuivant laquellel'existence, dans les
enclaves, d'un gouvernement local de facto provz'soire,qui n'est
pas représenté devant la Cour,ferait obstacleà cequ'il soit statué,
dans lescircolzstancesprésentes,sur la demandedu Portugal
Attendu que cette thèse ne trouve aucun fondement ni dans le
Statut de la Cour, ni dans les déclarations par lesquelles les Parties
ont acceptéla juridiction obligatoire de celle-ci; que ces déclarations
comportent un engagement général,assorti de certaines réserves
limitativement énoncéeset dont aucune ne se rapporte à l'éven-
tualité dont l'Inde fait actuellement état;

Attendu que, pour justifier néanmoins sa prétention, l'Inde
invoque le principe dont la Cour a fait application dans son arrêt
du 15juin 1954 relatià l'affaire de l'ormonétairealbanais;
Attendu que ce principe est celui qui subordonne la juridiction
de la Cour au consentement des États en cause; qu'il s'agit, en effet,
d'un principe fondamental, manifestement incorporé dans le Statut;
mais que ce principe est totalement étranger au cas actuel;

Attendu que la Cour n'est pas appelée à statuer sur un différend
international auquel le prétendu gouvemement de factodes enclaves
serait partie et pour lequel la Cour ne pourrait donc pas exercer sa
juridiction sans le consentement dudit gouvemement de facto;

Attendu qu'il ne suffit pas, pour que la Cour soit empêchéde'exer-
cer sa juridiction, que le différenddont elle est saisie intéresse un
tiers et que ce tiers ne soit pas représentédevant elle, mêmesi ce
tiers est un État;

Attendu que non seulement le prétendu gouvernement de facto
des enclaves ne peut êtreconsidéré àaucun titre comme organe d'un
Etat, mais qu'il ne possèdemêmepasde personnalitéjuridiqueinter-
nationale;
Attendu qu'il constitue une simple administration de fait provi-
soire; qu'une- telle administration est dépourvue de personnalité
juridique sur le plan international aussi longtemps qu'elle n'a pas
étéreconnue;
Attendu au surplus que la personnalité juridique qu'elleacquiert
en cas de reconnaissance n'existe que dans les limites où cette
reconnaissance la lui a octroyée;

Attendu que le Gouvernement de l'Inde prétend avoir reconnu
factoprovisoire, mais que cette déclaration, énoncéepour la première
fois dans son contre-mémoire, est incompatible avec celle qui figure
au paragraphe 16de ses exceptions préliminaires, d'aprèslaquelle le
Gouvernement de l'Inde n'avait pas de relations jusque-là avec
ladite administration; que la prétendue reconnaissance serait donc
postérieure àla présentation desexceptionspréliminaires (avril 1957);
qu'elle serait mêmepostérieure aux débats oraux qui ont eu lieu à
leur sujet devant la Cour du 23 septembre au II octobre 1957; Whereas this allegedrecognition would be an implicit recognition;
whereas it wouldonly have been given external manifestation-apart
from the assertions made in the Counter-Memorial and in the
Rejoinder-by contacts wirh local officialswith regard to such day-
to-day matters of administration as police, posts, transport,
etc.-which contacts are expressed to have been limited to the
indispensable minimum (Counter-Memorial, paragraph 353) ;

Whereas it is difficult to confer upon such contacts the status
of recognition;
Whereas that recognition, on the assumption that it was given,
could onlyhave an extremely limited legal scope; whereas its effects
would belimited to India's relations with the local administration in
the matters for which these contacts were made; whereas such
recognition can certainly not be invoked as against Portugal and
cannot in any way affect either Portugal's right of passage or the
jurisdiction of the Court in the dispute which has been regularly
brought before it;

Whereas, furthermore, this alleged recognition would only follow
from a change in India's intentions after the argument of the Preli-
minary Objections, and whereas a party to a dispute is certainlynot
entitled to modify during the course of the proceedings and to the
detriment of the other party, by a mere manifestation ofwiU, the
conditions in which the dispute presents itself;
Whereas therefore viewed from any angle, the argument that the
Court is prevented in the present case from discharging the judicial
function conferred iipon it, on the pretext that the Court is not open
to the provisional de facto adminisiration of the enclaves, must be

rejected as devoid of foimdation;

D. As to theargurnentthat theexerciseof therightofpassagebyPortu-
gal would involve, under the present circumstances,gravedangers
to India's public order and that India is therefore entitledto
oppose it

Whereas this argument is independent of the assertion that the
events which occurred in the enclaves arnounted to an insurrection
of the local population; whereas this argument is based solely on
India's right to preserve its interna1 order and on the existence of a
danger which is said seriously to threaten that order;

Whereas, asappears from paragraph 388 of the Reply, if by reason
of exceptional circumstances at any given moment the passage of
Portuguese armed forces over the few kilometres of road which lead
from Daman to the enclaves should really appear likely seriously to

disturb the public order of India, by provoking acts of violence on
its territory, Portugal would agree that passage should be tempo-
rarily suspended, to the extent necessary for the preservation of
India's public order;
Whereas the issue is therefore whether the aforementioned con-
ditions which must be satisfied for a suspension of the passage of
armed forces have in fact been fulfilled; Attendu que cette prétendue reconnaissance aurait un caractère
implicite; qu'elle ne se serait manifestéeextérieurement - en dehors
des affirmations énoncéesdans le contre-mémoire et dans la dupli-
que - que par des contacts avec lesfonctionnaires locaux, à propos
de questions journalières d'administration, telles que la police, les
postes, les transports, etc- contacts qui seraient d'ailleurs réduits
au minimum indispensable (contre-mémoire, paragraphe 353) ;
Attendu qu'il est difficile d'attribuerà de tels contacts la valeur
d'une reconnaissance;

Attendu que cette reconnaissance, à supposer qu'elle ait eu lieu,
ne pourrait avoir qu'une portée juridique extrêmement restreinte;
que ses effets seraient limités aux rapports de l'Inde avec l'adminis-
tration locale dans les matières pour lesquelles les contacts ont été
établis; qu'elle ne serait certainement pas opposable au Portugal et
la juridiction de la Cour dans le litige dont elle a étérégulièrement
saisie;

Attendu au surplus que cette prétendue reconnaissance ne résul-
terait que d'un changement survenu dans les intentions de l'Inde
après le débat sur les exceptions préliminaires, et qu'une partie en
litige n'a certainement pas le droit de modifier en cours d'instance,
au détriment de la partie adverse et par une simple manifestation
de volonté, les conditions dans lesquelles le différend se présente;
Attendu, par conséquent, que, quel que soit l'aspect sous lequel
on la considère, on ne peut que rejeter, comme dépourvue de tout
fondement, la thèse d'aprèslaquelle la Cour ne pourrait pas remplir,
dans les circofistances présentes, la mission juridictionnelle qui lui
est confiée,sous prétexte que l'administration de fait provisoire des
enclaves n'a pas accèsdevant elle;
D. En ce qui concernela thèsed'aprèslaquellel'exercicedu droit de
passage du Portugal comporterait,dans lescirconstances actuelles,
de gravesdangers pourl'ordrepublicdel'Inde etqu'enconséquence,
celle-ciseraiten droitdes'y opposer
Attendu que cette thèse est indépendante de l'affirmation suivant
laquelle les événements qui se sont produits dans les enclaves com-
porteraient une insurrection de la population locale; qu'elle est
uniquement baséesur le droit de l'Inde de préserver sonordreinté-
rieur et sur l'existence d'un danger qui menacerait gravement
celui-ci;

Attendu que, comme il découledu paragraphe 388 de la réplique,
si, en raison de circonstances exceptionnellesà un moment donné, le
passage de forces armées portugaises par les quelques kilomètres de
route qui conduisent de Dam20 aux enclaves apparaissait comme
de l'Inde, en provoquant des actes de violence sur sonrdre ptemtoire,
le Portugal admettrait que le passage puisse êtremomentanément
suspendu, dans la mesure nécessaireau maintien dudit ordre public;

Attendu que la question se ramène donc au point de savoir si les
conditions susmentionnéesrequises pour une suspension du passage
de forcesarmées se trouvent en fait réalisées;
16 Whereas India confines itself to the expression in this connection
of certain apprehensions the basis for which hasnot been established;
Whereas India invokes the risk that the so-called insurgentsmight
push back on to its territory any elements of the Portuguese public
forces sent to the enclaves to restore order there;
Whereas, however, India can easily protect itself against this
contingency; whereas it undeniably has at its disposal the means to
do so; whereas its intemal order could only be exposed to the danger
it refers to if it refrained from utilizinghese means;
Whereas it is the more difficult to agree, in these circumstances,
that its argument has any validity, inasmuch as the prolongation
of the prohibition of pass,agewould have for Portugal consequences
of obvious gravity which Portugal could not possibly avoid;

Whereas, if the Court should nevertheless be of opinion that, in
the present circumstances, the passage of Portuguese armed forces
should be suspended, as stated above, by reason of the danger it
would represent for the interna1 order of India, it is obvious that this
temporary suspension ought to end as soon as the danger justifying
that suspension disappears;
Whereas, for its part, India would naturally have the duty not to
take any meascre which might consolidate the position of the ad-
versaries of the lawful Government in the enclaves; whereas it is
indeed inconceivable that India should take advantage of the sus-
pension in order to further the aggravation or prolongation of the
circumstances relied upon in support of that claim;
For these reasons,

May it please the Court
(a) to hold that the arguments of India set out above under A,
B and C are without foundation;
(b) as to the argument of India set out above under D:

I. If the Court is of opinion that the above-mentioned conditions
which.must be satisfied to justify the suspension of the passage of
Portuguese armed forces are not fulfilled,

To adjudge and declare
That India must end the measures by which it opposesthe exercise
of the right of passage of Portugal;
2. If the Court is of opinion that the above-mentioned conditions
which must be satisfied to justify the suspension of the passage of
Portuguese armed forces are fulfilled,
To adjudge and declare
That the said passage shall be temporarily suspended; but that
this suspension shall end as soon as the course of events discloses
that the justification for the suspension has disappeared;

That during such suspension, India must abstain from any measure
which might strengthen the position of the adversaries of the lawful
Government in the enclaves and thus provoke the aggravation orDROIT DE PASSAGE SUR TERRITOIRE INDIEN (ARRÊT 12 IV 60) 19

Attendu que l'Inde se borne à faire valoirà cet égard certaines
appréhensionsdont le fondement n'est pas démontré;
Attendu qu'elle invoque le risque de voir les prétendus insurgés
refouler sur son propre territoire les élémentsde la force publique
portugaise envoyés dans les enclavespour y rétablir l'ordre;
Mais attendu que l'Inde peut aisément se protéger contre cette
éventualité;qu'elledispose incontestablement desmoyens delefaire;
que son ordreintérieur ne serait donc exposéau périlqu'elle dénonce
que si elle s'abstenait de faire usage de ces moyens;

Attendu qu'il est d'autant plus difficile d'admettre, dans ces
conditions, la valeur de son argumentation que la prolongation de
d'une évidentegravitéet auxquelles il lui serait impossibled'échap-

per;
Attendu que, si toutefois la Cour était d'avis que, dans les cir-
constancesactuelles, lepassage de forcesarmées portugaises devrait
êtresuspendu, comme il est dit ci-dessus, en raison du danger qu'il
ferait courirà l'ordre intérieur de l'Inde, il va de soi que cette sus-
pension temporaire devrait prendre fin dès qu'aura disparu le danger
qui la justifie;
Attendu que, de son côté, l'Inde aurait naturellement le devoir
de ne prendre aucune mesure pouvant consolider la position des
adversaires du Gouvernement légal dans les enclaves; qu'on ne
concevrait pas, en effet, qu'elle profitât de la suspensionpour favori-
ser l'aggravation ou la prolongation des circonstances invoquées à
l'appui de cette demande;
Par ces motifs

Plaise à la Cour
a) déclarersans fondement les thèses de l'Inde reprises ci-dessus,
sous les lettres A, B et C;
6) en ce qui concerne la thèse de l'Inde reprise ci-dessus, sous
la lettre D:

I. si la Cour est d'avis que les conditionssusmentionnéesrequises
pour suspendre lepassage de forcesarméesportugaises ne setrouvent
pas réalisées,
dire et juger
que l'Inde doit mettre fin aux mesures par lesquelles elle s'oppose
à l'exercice du droit de passage du Portugal;
2. si la Cour est d'avis que lesconditions susmentionnéesrequises
pour suspendre le passage de forces armées portugaises se trouvent
réalisées,

dire et juger
que ledit passage sera momentanément suspendu, mais que cette
suspension devra prendre fin dès que l'évolutionde la situation en
aura fait disparaîtrela justification;
que pendant cette suspension, l'Inde devra s'abstenir de toute
mesure pouvant fortifier la position desadversaires du Gouvernement
légaldans les enclaves et provoquer ainsi l'aggravation ou la prolon-

17 prolongation of the circumstances relied upon in support of that
suspension ;
That there is no legitimate reason entitling India to ask that the
other forms of the exercise of the right of passage should likewise be
suspended.

III.-Submissions relating to the Prel.iminary Objectionsof Irtdia
A. As to thefifth objection

Whereas the fifth of the Preliminary Objections raised by India
was designed to secure a finding by the Court that the dispute is
not within the Court's jurisdiction on the ground that it relates to a
question which, according to international law, falls exclusively
within the jurisdiction of India, and that the Declaration of 28 Feb-
rof the Court, excludes such disputes from the Court's jurisdiction;

Whereas, by its Judgment of 26 Norember 1957,the Court decided
to join this objection to the merits;
Whereas it is clear from the arguments that Portugal's claim is
based on international law; whereas all the titles relied upon in
respect of that claim fall within the domain of international law;
and whereas the validity of these titles has been fully established;
Whereas the question involved in this dispute is therefore certain-
ly not a question which, according to international law, falls within
the exclusive jurisdiction of India;
For these reasons,

May it please the Court
To dismiss the Objection.

B. As to the sixth objection
Whereas the sixth of the Preliminary Objections raised by India
was designed to secure a finding by the Court that the dispute does
not fall within the jurisdiction of the Court, by virtue of the reser-
vation ratione temporis in the Declaration of 28 Februa-y 1940,
under which India accepted the jurisdiction of the Court in respect of
disputes 'arising afterj February 1930, with regard to situations or
facts subsequent to that date';
Whereas, by its Judgment of 26November 19 57,the Court decided
to join this objection to the merits;
Whereas in the Preliminary Objections of the Indian Government
this objection was solelybased on the second part of the aforemen-
tioned reservation, that Government recognizing that the disputewas
subsequent to 5 February 1930, whilst contending that it related
to situationsor facts prior to that date;
Whereas it was only in the course of the oral argument onthe
Prelirninary Objections, in the Oral Reply ofthe Attorney-General of
India (Oral Proceedings, pp. 213-221) that an objection based on the
first part of the aforementioned reservation was raised, i.e. an
objection based on the ground that the dispute allegedly arose before
5 February 1930;

18gation des circonstances invoquées à l'appui de ladite suspension;

qu'il n'existe, pour l'Inde, aucune raison légitime de demander
que les autres modalités de l'exercice du droit de passage soient
également suspendues.

III. - Conclusiansrelativesaux exceptionspréliminairesde l'Inde

A. En cequi concernela cinquièmeexception
Attendu que la cinquième des exceptionspréliminaires soulevées
par l'Inde tendait à faire juger que le différendéchappe à la compé-
tence de la Cour parce qu'il porterait sur une question qui, selon le
droit international, relèveraitexclusivement de la compétence de
l'Inde et que la déclaration du 28 février 1940, par laquelle celle-ci
a accepté la juridictio~i obligatoire de la Cour, en exclut de tels
différends;
Attendu que,par son arrêtdu 26 novembre 1957,la Cour a décidé
de joindre cette exception au fond;
Attendu qu'il ressort des débats que la demande du Portugal est
baséesur le droit international; que tous les titres invoquéàl'appui
de cette demande relèvent du droit international; et que la valeur
de ces titres a étéamplement démontrée;
Attendu que la sur laquelle porte le litige n'est donc
certainement pas une question qui, selon le droit international,
relèverait de la compétence exclusive de l'Inde;

Par ces motifs
Plaiseà la Cour
Rejeter l'exception.

B. En cequi concernela sixièmeexception
Attendu que la sixièmedes exceptionspréliminaires soulevéespar
l'Inde visaità faire juger que le différendn'est pas de la compétence
de la Cour en vertu de la réserveratione temporis de la déclaration
du 28 février1940, aux termes de laquelle l'Inde a accepté la juri-
diction de la Cour pour les différends((s'élevantaprès le 5 février
1930,relativement à des situations ou faits postérieuàscette date »;

Attendu que, par son arrêt du 26 novembre 1957, la Cour a
décidéde joindre cette exception au fond;

indien, cette exception était uniquement fondée sur la secondent
partie de la réserve susdite, ce Gouvernement reconnaissant que
le différendétait postérieur au 5 février1930 mais prétendant qu'il
concernait des situations ou des faits antérieurà cette date;

Attendu que c'est seulement au cours des plaidoiries concernant
GeneraEde l'Inde (procédure orale, pp. 213-221) que fut soulevée
une exception fondée sur la premièrepartie de la réservedéjàmen-
tionnée, c'est-à-dire sur la prétendue antériorité du différendpar
rapport au 5 février1930; Whereas, quite apart from this consideration, neither the ob-
jection based on the first part of the reservation nor the objection
based on the second part of the reservation, can be accepted;

to 5 February 1930, since the dispute dates from 1954,the year in
which the divergence of views, which constitutes the dispute, arose
between the Portuguese Government and the Indian Govemment;

Whereas furthermore the situations or facts in respect of which
the dispute arose are likewise subsequent to 5 February 1930,since
they also date from 1954;
Whereas these situations or facts are really nothing but those
giving rise to the dispute and, whereas one must regard as such the
situations or facts imputed by the applicant State to the respondent
State as unlawful, i.e. as constituting violations of the respondent
State's international obligations;
Whereas the situations or facts which Portugal imputes to the
Indian Union as unlawful also date from 1954,as has already been
pointed out ;
For these reasons,
May it please the Court

To dismiss the Objection."
Outbehalfof the Governmentof India,

in the Counter-Memorial :
"May it please the Court to declare that it has no jurisdiction to
decide on the claim presented by the Portuguese Government, and,
in the alternative, to declare the claim ill-founded."

As final Submissions filed on 21 October 1959:
"Having regard to the Subrnissions presented at the hearing of
6 October 1959by the Agent for Portugal,
Whereas, by its Judgrnent of 26 November 1957,the Court joined
to the merits the consideration of the Fifth and Sixth Prelirninary
Objections ;

1.-As tothe Fifth Objection
Whereas, if its exarnination of the merits should lead the Court to
a finding that Portugal has not established the existence of the titles
which she has invoked, and that these titles must accordingly be
regarded as non-existent, it must follow that the question of the
grant or refusa1 of the passage claimed over Indian territory falls
exclusively within the domestic jurisdiction of India and that the
dispute is outside the jurisdiction of the Court;
II.-As to theSixth Objection

Whereas the Indian declaration of acceptance of the compulsory
jurisdiction expressly provides that only disputes arising after
5 February 1930and with regard to situations or facts subsequent
to the samedate may be submitted to the jurisdiction of t-heCourt ; Attendu qu'indépendamment de cette considération,on ne peut
accepter ni l'exception fondée sur la première partie de la réserve
ni celle qui se fonde sur la deuxièmepartie de la réserve;
Attendu qu'en effet le différend soumis à l'appréciation de la
Cour est postérieurau 5 février1930,puisqu'il date de 1954,année
où a surgi entre le Gouvernement portugais et le Gouvernement
indien l'opposition de vues qui constitue ce différend;
Attendu que, d'autre part, sont égalementpostérieursau 5février
1930 - p"squ'i1s datent égalementde 1954 - les situations ou
faits au suiet desquels le différend s'est élevé;
Attendu qu'en réalité,ces situations ou faits ne sont que les
générateursdu différendet que, comme tels, on doit-considérer les
situations ou faits imputéspar l'État demandeur à l'Etat défendeur
comme illicites, c'est-à-dire comme des violations de ses obligations
internationales;
Attendu que les situations ou faits que le Portugal impute à
l'Unionindienne commeillicites, datent, ainsiqu'ilaété dit, de1954 ;

Par ces motifs,

Plaise à la Cour
Rejeter l'exception. ))

Azc nom du Gouvernement del'Inde,
dans le contre-mémoire :

a Plaise à la Cour déclarer qu'elle n'est pas compétente pour
statuer sur la réclamationprésentéepar le Gouvernement portugais
et, subsidiairement, déclarer cette réclamation mal fondée. ))

Comme conclusions finales déposéesle 21 octobre 1959:
Vu les conclusions déposées par M. l'agent du Portugal à l'au-
dience du 6 octobre 1959;
Attendu que par son arrêtdu 26novembre 1957la Cour a joint au
fond l'examen des cinquièmeet sixièmeexceptions prélimmaires;

1.- Quant à la cinquième exception
Attendu que, si l'examen du fond conduit la Cour à la constata-
tion que le Portugal n'a pas établil'existence destitres qu'il invoque
et que ceux-ci doivent dèslors êtreréputés inexistants,il en résul-
tera que la question de l'octroi ou du refus du passage réclamésur
le territoire indien relève exclusivement dela compétencenationale
de l'Inde et que le différendéchappeàla juridiction dela Cour;

II.- Quant à la sixièmeexceetion
Attendu que la déclaration indienne d'acceptation de reconnais-
sance de juridiction obligatoire prévoit expressémentque seuls les
différendsnés aprèsle 5 février1930et qui se rapportent en outre à
des situations ou faits postérieursàcette date peuvent êtresoumis
àla juridiction de la Cour; Whereas, according to the Subrr~issionsfiled by the Agent for
Portugal on 6October 1959,and the explanations given in the course
of the Oral Proceedings by Counsel for Portugal the object of the
Portuguese claim is (1) recognition of the right which Portugal
claims to possessto pass over Indian territory to the extent necessary
for the exercise of her sovereignty over the enclaves of Dadra and
Nagar-Aveli (2)a finding of India's failure to respect the obligation
binding upon her as the result of that alleged right (3)an injunction
to India that she should re-establish the right of passage or, in the
alternative, in the event of its being found that the exercise of that
right was rightfully suspended in respect of Portuguese armed forces,
to limit the suspension in its scopeand in its duration whilerefraining
from consolidating the situation justifying that suspension;
Whereas the above-mentioned secondand third objects ofthe claim
are manifestly ancillary to the first, their consideration being sub-
ject to the existence of the right of passage defined under (1);

Whereas claims relating to the passage were raised by Portugal
before 5 February 1930 and whereas the situation to which the
titles now invoked by Portugal refer was repeatedly the subject of
difficulties prior to 5 February 1930;

Whereas the dispute referred to the Court by Portugal accord-
ingly fails to satisfy either of the two time conditions to which the
Indian Union made its acceptance of the compulsory jurisdiction
of the Court subject ;

III.-On the merits
A. As to theright claimedand its basis
Whereas the right claimed by Portugal has been presented as a
right of passage relating to private persons and to goods as well as
to officia1organs and armed troops, limited to the needs of the exer-
cise of Portuguese sovereignty and subject to the restrictions and
regulations prescribed by the Indian Union, the sovereign in the
intermediate territory, without any claim by Portugal to any
irnrnunity ;
Whereas the right as thus defined and the correlative obligation
contain such contradiction and lack of precision that their judicial
recognition would appear to be impossible;
whereas in particular the concept of the essential needs for the
maintenance of Portuguese sovereignty does not provide the Parties
with an objective criterion enabling them to arrive at a comrnon
appreciation or making it possible for some arbitral or judicial body
to decide as between them in the event of a divergence of opinion;
whereas moreover it is difficult to see how such a concept of
the requirements of sovereignty could lead to any right of passage
for private persons and goods in whose favour the enjoyment of the
right is however still claimed although the exercise of Portuguese
sovereignty in the enclaves is manifestly paralysed;
wheréas-similarly the statement by Portugal that the right of
passage claimed includes no immunity is incompatible with the Attendu que, suivant les conclusions déposéespar M. l'agent du
Portugal le 6 octobre 1959 et les explications données en plaidoiries
par les conseils du Portugal, la demande portugaise a pour objet
IOlareconnaissance du droit quele Portugalprétend avoir detransiter
par le temtoire indien dans la mesure nécessaire à l'exercice de sa
souveraineté sur les enclaves de Dadra et Nagax-Aveli, 2" la consta-
tation des manquements de l'Inde àl'obligation résultant pour elle
de ce prétendu droit, 3Oune injonction à l'Inde d'avoirà rétablir le
droit de passage ou, subsidiairement, dans le cas où il serait reconnu
que son exercice aurait été légitimement suspendu pour les forces
armées portugaises, de limiter la suspension dans ses effets et dans
le temps tout en s'abstenant de consolider la situation qui l'aurait
iustifié;
Attendu que les deuxième et troisième objets précitésde la de-
mande sont manifestement accessoires dupremier,leurpriseen consi-
dération étant subordonnée à l'existence du droit de passage défini
sub IO;

Attendu que desréclamations relatives au passage ont étéélevées
par le Portugal avant le5février1930et que la situation à laquelle se
rapportent les titres invoquésaujourd'hui à l'appui de sa demande
donna fréquemment lieu àdes difficultésantérieurement au 5février
1930 ;
Attendu que le différend soumis à la Cour par le Portugal ne
satisfait dès lors aucune des deux conditions de temps auxquelles
l'Union indienne a subordonné son acceptation de la juridiction
obligatoire de la Cour;
III. -Au fond

A. Quant au droit revendiquéet à son fondement
Attendu que le droit revendiqué pax le Portugal est présenté
comme un droit de passage portant sur les personnes privées et les
biens autant que sur les organes officiels et troupes armées,limité
aux besoins de l'exercice de la souveraineté portugaise et subor-
donné aux restrictions et réglementations édict'ées par l'Union in-
dienne souveraine dans le territoire intermédiaire sans que le Portu-
galprétende à aucune immunité;
Attendu que le droit ainsi définiet l'obligation corrélative sont
affectésde contradictions et d'imprécisions telles que la reconnais-
sance judiciaire en parait impossible;
que notamment la notion des besoins essentiels au maintien de la
souveraineté portugaise ne fournit pas aux Parties un critère objectif
pouvant les conduire à une appréciation commune ou permettre à
quelque organe arbitral ou judiciaire de les départager en cas de
divergence de vues ;
qu'on ne voit pas dureste comment cette notion desbesoins de sou-
veraineté pourrait conduire à un droit de passage quelconque pour
les personnes privées et lesbienspour lesquelscependant le bénéfice
en est encore actuellement réclamé alors que l'exercice de la souve-
raineté portugaise dans les enclaves est manifestement paralysé;
que, de même,la déclaration du Portugal suivant laquelle le droit
de passage réclaméne comporte aucune immunité est incompatible23 RIGHT OF PASSAGE OVER INDIAN TERRITORY (JUDGM. 12 IV 60)
character of a State organ which necessarily attaches to armed mili-
tary forces under command passing through foreign territory ;

whereas it is unimaginable that a right of passage can be recog-
nized generally, even within the bits required by the needs of
the applicant State, without any regard to the objections of the
State through which passage is to be effected; whereas in the third
part of her Submissions Portugal indeed recognizes that the interests
times to refuse to permit the exercise of the right claimed; wherease-
thereisnot however any trace ofany such limitation in the definition
proposed which must accordingly be rejected as unacceptable also
on that ground;

Whereas it is self-evident that' a right which is so contradictory
and the content of which is so indeterminate and indeterminable
can find no basis in any of the general or particular titles alleged by
Portugal, that is to say,either in general custom, or in the principles
ofinternational law which can bederivedtherefrom. or in the rreneral
principles of law recognized by civilized States,'or in pa&icular
ameements. orin local custom which. if it exists. must be assimilated
tg the partkular agreements ;
Whereas reliance has wrongly been placed upon the respect due
to the sovereignty of Portugal in the enclaves;
whereas the sovereignty invoked is essentially territorial and
does not in itself involve any right whatsoever upon Indian territory;

Whereas Portugal is equally unfounded in her reliance upon
tainedin a treaty of 1779 negotiated by Portugal with the Maratha-
Empire, or flowing from the attitude of the British or Indian Gov-
ernments between 1818 and 1954;

Whereas the negotiations of 1779 never resulted in an agreement
and whereas the draft treaty in contemplation in any event involved
no transfer of sovereignty ;
Whereas if it is true that sovereignty over the enclaves was
subsequently usurped by Portugal, this could not give rise to àny
right of passage;
Whereas even if this were not the case it has been clearly
est\ablished in the written proceedings that recognition of the fact
of Portuguese sovereignty was never at any time accompanied by
recognition of any obligations whatsoever with regard tothe alleged
right of passage;
whereas from 1818to 1954 the Governments of Great Britain or
ofIndia granted or refused passage as they saw fit;

whereas the particular agreements concluded on this subject with
Portugal in 1819, 1844, 1861, 1879, 1893, 1913, 1920 and 1940were
concluded for a short period, or were revocable, their content being
now proposed by Portugal;ar removed from the definition of the rightavec le caractère d'organe de la puissance publique, qui s'attache
nécessairement àdesforcesmilitaires armées et encadréestraversant
un territoire étranger;
qu'enfin il ne se conçoit pas qu'un droit de passage puisse être
reconnu de façon générale, fût-cedans les limites requises par les
besoins de l'Etat requérant, sans aucun égard aux objections de
1'Etat de passage; que, dans la troisième partie deses conclusions,
le Portugal admet du reste que les intérêtsde l'Etat de passage
l'autorisent parfois à refuser l'exercice du droit revendiqué; qu'il
n'y a pourtant pas trace de pareille limitation dans la définition
proposée,laquelle doit dès lors de ce chef aussi êtrerejetée comme
inacceptable;

Attendu qu'il va de soi qu'un droit aussi contradictoire et de
contenu aussi indéterminé et indéterminable ne peut trouver de
fondement dans aucun des titres généreaux ou particuliers allé-
guéspar le Portugal, c'est-à-dire ni dans la coutume générale,ni
dans les principes de droit international qui peuvent êtredégagés
de celle-ci, ni dans les principes générauxde droit reconnus par les
Etats civilisés,ni dans les accords particuliers, ni dansla coutume
locale qui, si elle existe, doit êtreassimiléeaux accords particuliers;
Attendu qu'à tort il est fait état du respect dûà la souveraineté
du Portugal sur les enclaves;

ne comporte pas par elle-mêmede droit quelconque sur le territoiret
indien ;

Attendu que c'est à tort également que le Portugal se réclamede
la reconnaissance de la souveraineté portugaise dans les enclaves,
soit contenue dans un traité de 1779 négociépar lui avec l'Empire
mahratte, soit résultant de l'attitude des Gouvernements bntan-
nique ou indien de 1818 à 1954;
Attendu que les négociations de 1779 n'ont jamais abouti à un
accord et que le projet de traité envisagé ne comporte du reste
aucun transfert de souveraineté;
que, s'il est vrai qu'ultérieurement la souveraineté dans les en-
claves a étéusurpée par le Portugal, iln'a pu en résulter aucun droit
de passage ;
Attendu qu'en fût-il autrement, il a étéclairement établi dans la
procédure écrite qu'à aucun moment la reconnaissance du fait de la
souveraineté portugaise ne s'est accompagnéede la reconnaissance
d'obligations quelconques relativement au prétendu droit de pas-
sage ;

que, de 1818 à1954, lesGouvernements dela Grande-Bretagne ou
de l'Inde ont accordé ou refusélepassage suivant leurs convenances;
que les accords particuliers conclus à ce sujet avec le Portugal
en 1819, 184.4, 18611,879, 1893, 1913, 1920 et 1940 le furent :pour
une courte durée ou de manière révocable, leur contenu étant
toujours limité et très éloignéde la définition du droit aujourd'hui
proposée par le Portugal; whereas it accordingly appears that apart from the brief periods
during which these agreements were in force Great Britain and India
retained in respect of passage a discretionary competence without
any sort of limitation;
whereas the course thus adopted by Great Britain and by India
in no way diverged from the usual practice followed by the Gov-
ernments of other States having foreign enclaves within their
territory ;

Whereas, far from revealing the existence of a general customary
rule in conformity with the claims of Portugal relating to a right of
passage, an examination of the practice followed, and in particular
of the agreements which have been concludedon this subject, estab-
lishes the categorical refusa1 of States to be bound by forma1under-
isincluded within the customs regime of theState through whichpas-ve
sage is to be effected, or with regard to the transit of armed forces
at least where those forces exceed a given number, or where the
passage is designed to prevent or to put down political, social or
economic disturbances.

B. As to the violationof the allegedright in Jzcly-Azcgus1954

Whereas the non-existence of the right claimed is sufficient in law
to dispose of the complaint of its violation;
Whereas the Indian Union however desires indignantly to reject
the accusation of having used its discretionary competence, in re-
spect of the passage of Portuguese troops, to assist the overthrowing
of Portuguese power in pursuance of annexationist designs;

Whereas the Indian Government and people have doubtless never
concealed their desire that the Goans should be allowed to join the
Union of Independent India to which they are attached ethnically
and culturally, whereas however the Indian Government has always
said with equal force that that reunion must be achieved without
violence; whereas it is difficult to see why any different attitude
should have been adopted with regard to the enclaves which are of
negligible political and economic importance to India;
Whereas the restrictions imposed by India at the end of 1953
and the beginning of 1954on the passage to the enclaves of Portu-
guese agents are fully explicable on the ground of the determina-
tion of the Government of New Delhi to answer the restrictive
measures adopted by the Goan administration in respect of Indian
nationals, by its concern not to assist the extension to the enclaves
of the reign of terror brought into being in Goa by the Portuguese
authorities to prevent and put down by violence any manifestation
of Indian national sentiment, and by its decisibn to forbid passage
over Indian territory to Portuguese officials who had demonstrated
their contempt for the Asians;

Whereas Portugal likewise wrongly maintains that the Govern-
onn22oJuly 1194;st have foreseen the coup which occurred at Dadra

22 qu'il apparaît dès lors que, sauf les brèves périodesoù ces accords
furent en vigueur, la Grande-Bretagne et l'Inde conservèrent en
matière de passage une compétence discrétionnaire sans limitation
d'aucune sorte ;

Attendu que cette manière de faire de la Grande-Bretagne et
de l'Inde ne s'écarte pas de la pratique habituelle suiviepar les gou-
vernements d'autres Etats ayant sur leur territoire des enclaves
étrangères;
que, loin de démontrer l'existence d'une règle de coutume géné-
rale conforme aux prétentions du Portugal relativement au droit de
passage, l'examen de la pratique suivie, notamment bes accords qui
intervinrent à ce sujet, établit le refus formel des Etats de se lier

par des engagements formels soit quant au transit des biens lorsque
l'enclave est englobéedans le régime douanier de l'Etat de passage,
soit quant au transit des forces arméestout au moins lorsque celles-
ci dépassent un contingent déterminé, ou lorsque le passage doit
permettre de prévenir ou de réprimer des troubles politiques, sociaux
ou économiques;

B. Quant à la violation du prétendu droitenjuillet-août I954
Attendu que l'inexistence' du droit revendiqué suffit en droit à
faire tomber le grief de sa violation;

Attendu toutefois que l'Union indienne entend repousser avec
indignation l'accusation de s'être servie de sa compétence discré-
tionnaire à l'égarddu passage des troupes portugaises pour faciliter
le renversement du pouvoir portugais et servir ses desseins annexio-
nistes ;

Attendu que sans doute le Gouvernement et le peuple indiens
n'ont jamais caché leur vŒu de voir les Goanais autorisés à rejoindre
l'union indienne indépendante à laquelle ils sont ethniquement et
culturellement attachés, mais que le Gouvernement de l'Inde a
toujours déclaré avecla mêmeforce que ladite réunion devait se
faire sans violence; qu'on ne voit pas pourquoi une attitude diffé-
rente aurait été adoptée à l'égard des enclaves d'une importance
politique et économique négligeable pour l'Inde;

Attendu que les restrictionsapportées par l'Inde fin1953 et début
1954 au passage vers les enclaves des agents portugais s'expliquent
amplement par la volonté du Gouvernenent de New Delhi de ré-
pondre aux mesures restrictives prises par l'administration de Goa
à l'égard desressortissants indiens, par son souci de ne pas favoriser
l'extension aux enclaves du régime de terreur instauré à Goa par
l'autorité portugaise pour prévenir et réprimer par la violence des
manifestations du sentiment national indien, ainsi que par sa déci-
sion d'interdire le passage sur territoire indien aux fonctionnaires
portugais qui s'étaient signaléspar leur mépris pour les Asiatiques;

Attendu qu'à tort égalementle Portugal soutient que le Gouverne-
ment de l'Inde a dû prévoir le coup de force survenu à Dadra le
22 juillet1954; 25 RIGHT OF PASSAGE OVER INDIAN TERRITORY (JUDGM. 12 IV 60)

whereas themanifesto of the Goan National Movement of 2 July
which has been relied upon does not in fact contain the slightest
indication to that effect and whereas the Portuguese authorities
refrained from communicating to India any information gathered
on this point by their intelligence services with regard to what was
being prepared;
Whereas the liberation of Dadra was a matter of a few minutes
only, whereas quite naturally it immediately gave rise to a great
stirring ofthe people in the neighbouring enclave ofNagar-Aveli, but
whereas in that enclave the insurgents encountered scarcely any
resistance, the Portuguese authorities having decided on I August
to evacuate the capital, Silvassa, and to withdraw into Indian terri-
tory 'to avoid an encounter';

Whereas once the liberation movement had been begun at Dadra,
the Indian Union was entitled, both in accordance with the principle
of international law of non-intervention and out of regard for the
right of self-determination of peoples recognized by the Charter, to
refuse the Portuguese authorities authorization for the passage of
reinforcements assuming that any had been available;
Whereas finally it is not reasonably possible to describe the events
which occurred in the enclaves as 'invasion' orforeign 'occupation',
when the few individuals, who in fact came from outside to Dadra
and Nagar-Aveli to support the liberation movement, were for the
most part Goans, that is, the compatriots and thekith of the inhab-
itants, whereas the majority of these left the enclaves a few days
after having entered them, whereas the independent administration
which was then constituted and which has since functioned, is in
large part composed of people bom in the enclavesor who have for
a long time resided there, and whereas the sympathies of the inhab-
itants for the nationalist movement had as early as 1931 and on
diverse occasions since then been noted by the Portuguese admini-
strators;
Whereas it follows from the considerations set out above that no
complaint can be made against the Indian Union on the ground of
the use it made of its discretionary competence in refusing passage
over its territory to the agents of the Portuguese State in July1954.

C. As totheclah for an injunction

Whereas this claim implies that since July/August 1954 the Indian
Union has violated its international obligations relating to transit
by refusing Portugal permissionfor the passage over Indian territory
of the armed forces necessary to re-establish her authority in the
enclaves ;
Whereas the reasons indicated above in refutation of the accusa-
tion of violation in respect of the periodJuly/August 1954are suffi-
cient to dispose of the complaint formulated with regard to the
subsequent period;
Whereas moreover even if obligations with regard to passage had
in the past been binding upon India, they should be regarded as
having lapsed as a result of the change which has occurred in the

23 que le manifeste du 2 juillet du Mouvement National Goanais dont
il est fait état ne contient en effet pas la moindre indication en ce
sens et que les autorités portugaises s'abstinrent de communiquer à
l'Inde les renseignements recueillis à cet égard par leurs services de

renseignements au sujet de ce qui se préparait;
Attendu que la libération de Dadra fut l'affaire de quelques
minutes seulement, qu'elle déclencha aussitôt tout naturellement
une grande effervescence dans l'enclave voisinedeNagar-Aveli, mais
que dans celle-ci les insurgés ne rencontrèrent guère de résistance,
les autorités portugaises ayant décidé dèsle ~eraoût d'évacuer le
chef-lieu Silvassa et de se retirer en territoire indien «pour éviter

une rencontre 1;

Attendu qu'une fois le mouvement de libération commencé à
Dadra, l'Union indienne était en droit de refuser aux autorités portu-
gaises, tant par application du principe de droit international de
non-intervention que par égard pour le droit d'autodisposition des
peuples reconnu par la Charte, l'autorisation de passage de renforts à
supposer qu'il y en eût eu de disponibles;

Attendu enfin qu'on ne peut raisonnablement qualifier les événe-
ments survenus dans les enclaves d'«invasion » ou d'«occupation ))
étrangère, alors que les quelques individus qui effectivement se
rendirent du dehors à Dadra et Nagar-Aveli pour appuyer le mouve-
ment de libération étaient pour la plupart Goanais, c'est-à-dire
compatriotes et congénères des habitants, que la majorité d'entre
eux quittèrent les enclaves peu de jours après y êtreentrés, que
l'administration indépendante constituée alors et telle qu'elle fonc-

tionne depuis est en grande partie composéede gens nés dans les
enclaves ou y domiciliésde longue date, et que les sympathies des
habitants pour le mouvement nationaliste avaient étédès 1931, à
diverses reprises depuis, constatées par les administrateurs portu-
gais;
Attendu qu'il résulte des considérations qui précèdent qu'aucun
reproche ne peut êtreadressé à l'Union indienne du chef de l'usage

qu'elle fit de. sa compétence discrétionnaire en refusant en juillet
1954 aux agents de l'État portugais passage sur son territoire;

C. Quant à lademanded'injonction
Attendu que cette demande implique que depuis juillet-août 1954
l'Union indienne aurait violéses obligations internationales relatives

au transit en refusant au Portugal l'autorisation de faire passer par
le territoire indien les forces armées nécessaires au rétablissement de
son autorité dans les enclaves;
Attendu que les motifs indiquésci-dessus pour réfuter l'accusation
de violation pour les périodes de juillet-août 1954 suffisent à écarter
le grief formulé pour la périodepostérieure;

Attendu au surplus que, si même des obligations de passage
avaient existé à charge de l'Inde dans le passé, elles devraient être
considéréescomme caduques en présence du changement survenu

23 essential circumstances, in particular by reason of the formation at
Silvassa of an independent local administration;
Whereas the existence and the stabilization of that administration
can only have served to reinforce the propriety of the attitude of
non-intervention adopted by India in the conflict between that
administration and Portugal;
Whereas this fact is equally one which must hold the attention
of the Court whose decision would run counter to the interests of
justice if, without a hearing, it were to condemn to extinction the
independent entity which has been constituted;
Whereas finally there can be no doubt that a restoration of the
Portuguese power in the enclaves brought about by force of arms
would encounter desperate resistance on the part of a population
rejoicing in the political, economic, social and cultural progress
which it has enjoyed for five years;
whereas the fighting to which such resistance would give rise
could not fail to extend to the surrounding Indian territory, the
population of which would feel solidarity with the resistance and
whereas this would result in an undoubted threat to the interna1
order and external peace of the Indian Union;
Whereas this situation should in itself suffice according to the
Submissions of Portugal themselves to bring about the rejection of
the claim for an injunction;

D. As to the alternativedaim for an injzlnction
Whereas in the absence of the re-establishment of the alleged
right of passage relating to armed forces, Portugal claims:
(a) that the suspension of the alleged right be declared to be limited
to the continuation of the situation justifying it;
(b) that India be prohibited from taking any action which might
strengthen the position of the adversaries of the Portuguese
regime in the enclaves,
(c) th& the suspension of the alleged right of passage be limited
to the armed forces,
Whereas none of these claims would appear to be justified;

(a) by the Court which shouldhe at the same time declare its exercise
to be suspended, it is difficult to see any point in accepting the
temporary character of that situation since it would appear
to be impossible to foresee and to define the various events
capable of putting an end to it;
(b) whereas it would likewise appear to be inadmissible to seek by
means of a judicial decision to prevent inperpetuity any evolution
of the situation in a sense unfavourable to the restoration of
the Portuguese regime or to regulate the relationships which the
Indian Union inevitably has with the population and the admin-
istration of enclaves integrated in its economic system;
(c) whereas finally the concern manifested by Portugal with regard
to the passage of private persons and of goods-more than ever
unconnected with the exercise of a sovereignty recognized to be dans les circonstances essentielles notamment à raison de la forma-
tion à Silvassa d'une administration locale indépendante;
Attendu que l'existence et la stabilisation de cette administration
n'ont pu que renforcer la légitimitéde l'attitude de non-intervention
adoptée par l'Inde dans le conflit qui oppose cette administration
au Portugal;

Attendu que ce fait ne s'impose pas moins à l'attention dela Cour
dont la décisionheurterait la justice si elle condamnait, sans l'avoir
entendue, à l'écrasement l'entité indépendante qui s'est constituée;

Attendu enfin qu'il n'est pas douteux qu'une restauration du
pouvoir portugais dans les enckves par les armesse heurterait à une
résistance désespérée dela part d'une population heureuse du pro-
grès politique, économique,social et culturel réalisédepuis cinq ans;

que les combats auxquels pareille résistance donnerait lieu, ne
pourraient manquer de s'étendre au territoire indien environnant
dont la population se sentirait solidaire des résistants et qu'il en
résulterait une menace certaine pour l'ordre intérieur et la paix
extérieure de l'Union indienne;
Attendu que cette situation devrait à elle seule suffire aux termes
mêmes des conclusions du Portugal pour faire écarter la demande
d'injonction ;

D. Quant à la demande d'injonction subsidiaire .
Attendu qu'à défaut de rétablissement du prétendu droit de
passage relativement aux forces armées, le Portugal demande :
a) que la suspension de ce prétendu droit soit déclaréelimitée à

la survivance de la situation qui l'aurait justifiée;
b) que l'Inde se voie interdire toute action pouvant fortifier la
position des adversaires du régimeportugais dans les enclaves;

c) que la suspension du prétendu droit de passage soit limitée aux
forces armées;
Attendu qu'aucune de ces demandes n'apparaît justifiée;

a) que, dans le cas où le droit de passage serait reconnu par la
Cour qui en mêmetemps déclarerait son exercice suspendu, on
ne voit pas l'intérêtqu'il y aurait à accepter le caractère tem-
poraire de cette situation alors qu'il apparaît impossible de
prévoir et de préciser les divers événements susceptibles d'y
mettre fin;
b) qu'il paraît inadmissible de même de vouloir à perpétuité
écarter par une décision judiciaire toute évolution de la situa-
tion dans un sens défavorable à la restauration du régimeportu-
gais ou réglementer les relations qu'inévitablement l'Union
indienne entretient avec la population et l'administration
d'enclaves intégréesdans son système économique;

c) qu'enfin le souci manifesté par le Portugal relativement au
passage des personnes privées et des biens - plus que jamais
étranger à l'exercice d'une souveraineté qu'on reconnaît para- paralysed-would appear to be all the less justified inasmuch
as the regulation of the passage of goodshas not undergone any
change and that the passage of private persons encounters no
impedirnentsave those brought about by the Portuguese author-
ities at Daman.
For these reasons and ail others advanced in the pleadings and
oral arguments submitted by the Indian Union

May it please the Court
To hold that it is without jurisdiction
In the alternative
to hold that the claim is unfounded."

The present dispute was referred to the Court by an Application
filed on 22 December 1955.
In that Application the Govemment of the Portuguese Republic
states that the territory of Portugalin the Indian Peninsula is made
up of the three districts of Goa, Daman and Diu. It adds that the

district of Daman comprises, in addition to its littoral territory,
two parcels of territory completely surrounded by the temtory of
InPa which constitute enclaves: Dadra and Nagar-Aveli. It is in
respect of the communications between these enclaves and Daman
and between each other that the question arises of a right of passage
in favour of Portugal through Indian territory, and of a correlative
obligation binding upon India. The Application states that in July
1954, contrary tothe practice hitherto followed, the Government of
India, in pursuance of what the Application calls "the open cam-
paign which it has been carrying on since 1950 for the annexation
of Portuguese territories", prevented Portugal from exercising this
right of passage. This denial by India having been maintained, it
has followed, according to the Application, that the enclaves of
Dadra and Nagar-Aveli have been completely cut off from the rest
of the Portuguese territory, the Portuguese authorities thus being

placed in a position in which it became impossible for them to
exercise Portuguese rights of sovereignty there.
It is in that situation, and in order to secure a remedy therefor,
that Portugal has referred the matter to the Court.

The questions submitted to the Court have been argued at length
by the Parties in the course of the proceedings. Their final formu-
lation is to be found in the Submissions by which each of the Parties
has stated what it asks the Court to adjudge and declare.
Since Portugal is the Applicant, it is in its Submissions that the
formulation of the claims on which the Court must adjudicate is
to be sought. Furthermore, subject to what will be said with regard

25 lysée - apparaît d'autant moins justifié quela réglementation
du passage des biens n'a subi aucune modification et que celui
des personnes privéesne connaît d'autres entraves que celles
qui y sont apportéespar l'autoritéportugaise àDamao;

Par ces motifset tous autres exposésdans les écritset plaidoiries
présentés par l'Unionindienne
Plaiseà la Cour
Se déclarer incompétente

Subsidiairement
déclarerla demande non fondêe. ))

La Cour a étésaisie du présent différendpar une requête déposée
le 22 décembre 1955.
Dans cette requête, le Gouvernement de la République du
Portugal expose que le territoire du Portugal dans la péninsule de
l'Inde comprend trois districts: ceux de Goa, de Damao et de Diu.
Il ajoute que le district de Damao comprend, en plus du territoire
littoral, deux parcelles complètement entourées par le territoire
indien et qui constituent des enclaves : Dadra et Nagar-Aveli. C'est
à propos des communications de ces enclavessoit avec Damao, soit
entre elles que se pose la question d'un droit de passage au profit

du Portugal en territoire de l'Inde et d'une obligation correspon-
dante à la charge de l'Inde. La requête énonce qu'en juillet 1954,
contrairement à la pratique suivie jusqu'alors, le Gouvernement de
l'Inde, poursuivant ce que la requête appelle ((la campagne qu'il
menait ouvertement depuis 1950 pour l'annexion de territoires
portugais »,a empêchéle Portugal d'exercer ce droit de passage.
Le refus opposé par l'Inde ayant été maintenu, il en est résulté,
selon ce qu'expose la requête, queles enclaves de Dadra et deNagar-
Aveli se trouvent dans un isolement complet du reste du territoire
portugais, les autorités portugaises étant ainsi mises dans l'impossi-
bilité d'y exercer les droits de souveraineté du Portugal.

C'est dans cette situation et pour en obtenir le redressement que
le Portugal a saisi la Cour.

Les questions soumises à la Cour ont étélonguement débattues
entre les Parties au cours de la procédure. Elles ont pris leur ex-
pression définitivedans les conclusions par lesquelles chaque Partie
a, pour sa part, énoncéce qu'elle demande àla Cour de dire et juger.
Le Portugal étant demandeur, c'est dans ses conclusions qu'il
faut rechercher l'expression des demandes sur lesquelles la Cour doit

statuer. Aussi bien et sous réserve de ce qui sera dit sur la Eompé-to the jurisdiction of the Court, India has confined itself in its Sub-
missions on the merits to adopting the negative position of request-
ing the Court "to hold that the claim is unfounded".

The Submissions presented by Portugal in the Application
request the Court in the first place "To recognize and declare that
Portugal is the holder or beneficiary of a right of passage", the
characteristics of which are set forth. In the course of the proceed-

ings stress was laid by both Parties on the importance of this
claim and the answer to be given to it.
This claim was repeated in the Submissions filed on 6 Octo-
ber 1959 on behalf of the Government of Portugal. The Court was
there asked :
"To adjudge and declare
That the right of passage between the enclaves of Dadra and
Nagar-Aveli and between these enclaves and the coastal district
ofDaman, as defined above, is a right possessed by Portugal and
which must be respected by India."

Thus formulated, the claim reveals both the right claimed by
Portugal and the correlative obligation binding upon India.

But, as thus formulated, the claim requires clarification of its
subject-matter, since it contains a reference to the grounds relied

upon in its support. It is clear from this reference that the right of
passage is invoked by Portugal "only to the extent necessary for
the exercise of Portuguese sovereignty over the enclaves". It is not
contended that passage is accompanied by any immunity in favour
of those who effect it. It is made clear that such passage remains
subject to the regulation and control of India, which must be
exercised in good faith, India being under an obligation not to
prevent the transit necessary for the exercise of Portuguese sover-
eignty over the enclaves.
The Court must adjudicate upon the claim as thus presented,
stating whether the right invoked by Portugal is or is not a right
possessed by that State. But with reference to what date must the
Court ascertain whether the right invoked by Portugal exists or
does not exist ?
Ifthe date selected is the eve of the events o1954 which brought
about a new situation which has since prevented the exercise by
Portugal of its authority in the enclaves without, however, having

substituted therefor that of India, the factors relevant for the guid-
ance of the Court in its decision will be those existing on the eve
of those events. If, on the other hand, the issue is viewed as it
stands at the date of the present Judgment, it will be necessary
to take into account-whatever may be their weight-the argu-
26tence de la Cour, l'Inde s'est bornéedans ses conclusions sur le fond
à prendre une position négative consistant à prier la Cour de
« déclarer la demande non fondée ».

Les conclusions présentées par le Portugal dans sa requête
demandent tout d'abord à la Cour de « dire et juger que le Portugal
est titulaire ou bénéficiaired'un droit de passage »dont les carac-
tères sont énoncés.Au cours de la procédure, il a étéinsisté de part
et d'autre sur l'importance de cette demande et de la réponse qui
lui sera donnée.
Cette demande se retrouve dans les conclusions déposées le
6 octobre 1959 au nom du Gouvernement du Portugal. La Cour y
est invitée à:

Dire et juger
que ledroit de passage entre lesenclavesde Dadra et de Nagar-Aveli
et entre celles-ciet l'arrondissement côtier demgo, tel qu'il est
défini ci-dessus,existe au profit du Portugal et doit êtrerespecté
par l'Inde.))

Ainsi formulée, cette demande fait apparaître tout à la fois le
droit revendiqué par le Portugal et l'obligation correspondante àla
charge de l'Inde.
Mais, ainsi formulée, cette demande a besoin d'êtrepréciséedans
son objet, puisqu'elle contient une référenceaux motifs invoqués à
son appui. Il résulte de cette référenceque le droit de passage n'est
invoqué par le Portugal «que dans la mesure nécessaire à l'exercice
de la souveraineté portugaise dans les enclaves 1)Il n'est pas pré-
tendu que le passage soit assorti d'immunités pour ceux qui le
pratiquent. Il est préciséque ce passage reste soumis à la réglemen-
tation et au contrôle de l'Inde, réglementation et contrôle qui

doivent êtreexercésde bonne foi, l'Inde étant tenue de l'obligation
de ne pas empêcherletransit nécessaireàl'exercice dela souveraineté
portugaise sur les enclaves.
Sur la demande ainsi présentée, la Cour doit statuer en disant si
le droit invoqué par le Portugal existe ou non à son profit. Mais à
quelle date doit se placer la Cour pour apprécier si le droit invoqué
par le Portugal existe ou non?

Si l'on se place à la veille des événements de 1954 qui ont créé
une situation nouvelle,laquelle fait depuislors échecàl'exercice par
le Portugal de son autorité dans les enclaves sans d'ailleurs y avoir
substitué celle del'Inde, les donnéespertinentes pour guider la Cour
dans sa décisionseront celles existant à la veille de ces événements.

Si, au contraire, l'on se place au jocr du présent arrêt, il faudra
faire état - sauf à en apprécier la valeur - des arguments de
l'Inde tendant à établir que le droit de passage, à supposer qu'il ait
26ments of India designed to establish that the right of passage,
assuming itto have existed previously, came to an end as a result
of the events of 1954 and has lapsed in the present circumstances.
Portugal has not indicated which date is the relevant one in this
connection and, having regard to its silence on the point, the in-
clination might be to regard as the relevant date that of the Appli-
cation or that of the Judgment. But this would fail to take into
account the circumstances in which the question of the existence
of a right of passage was put to the Court.
That question was put tothe Court in respect of the dispute which
has arisen between India and Portugal with regard to obstacles
placed by India in the way of passage. Portugal-and this was the
immediate purpose of the Application-sought a finding as to the

character, in its opinion unlawful, of these obstacles. It was in
support of this contention that it invoked its right of passage and
asked the Court to declare the existence of that right. This being so,
it is the eve of the creation ofhese obstacles that must be selected
as the sta~iipoint from which to ascertain whether or not Portugal
possessed such a right.
This will leave open the arguments of India regarding the sub-
sequent lapse of the right of passage and of the correlative obliga-
tion. It is in connection with what may have to be decided, not as
to the past, but as to the present and the future, that these argu-
ments may, if such questions arise, be taken into consideration.
Accordingly the first question with regard to which the Subrnis-
sions of Portugal cal1 upon the Court to decide is whether, on the
eve of the events which occurred at Dadra and at Nagar-Aveli in
1954 ,ortugal had a right of passage over the territory of India to
the extent necessary for the exercise of Portuguese sovereignty over
the enclaves, which right was subject to the regulation and control
of India.
Portugal asks the Court to hold that it had this nght. India asks
it to hold that the claim is unfounded.

To this first claim Portugal adds two others, though these are
conditional upon a reply, wholly or partly favourable, to the first
claim, and will lose their purpose if the right alleged is not recog-
nized. The formulation of these two claims, also, is to be sought in
the Submissions filed on behalf of Portugal on 6 October 1959.

Portugal asks the Court in the first place:

"To adjudge and declare
That India has not complied with the obligations incumbent upon
it by virtue of Portugal's right of passage."
This claim specifically refers to the obligations devolving upon
India as a result of Portugal's right of passage, and for this reasonexisté auparavant, est devenu caduc à la suite des événements de
1954 et dans les circonstances actuelles.

Le Portugal n'a pas spécifié à quelle date il faut ici s'attacher et,
dans ce silence, on peut être tenté de s'attacher à la date de la
requêteou àcelle de l'arrêt.Mais procéder ainsi serait ne pas tenir
compte des conditions dans lesquelles la question de l'existence du
droit de passage a étéposéeà la Cour.

Cette question lui a étéposée à l'occasion du différend qui a
surgi entre l'Inde et le Portugal au sujet des entraves apportées par

l'Inde au passage. Le Portugal - et tel a étél'objet immédiat de
la requête - a entendu faire prononcer sur le caractère, à son avis
illicite, de ces entraves. C'est pour étayer cette thèse qu'il a invoqué
son droit de passage et demandé àla Cour de reconnaître l'existence
de ce droit. Cela étant, c'est à la veille de l'établissement de ces
entraves qu'il faut se placer pour apprécier si le droit du Portugal
existait ou non.

Procéder ainsi laisse intacts les arguments de l'Inde touchant la
caducité ultérieure du droit de passage et de l'obligation correspon-
dante. C'est à propos de ce qu'il faudra décider non plus pour le

passé mais pour le présent et l'avenir que ces arguments pourront,
si de telles questions se posent, êtrepris en considération.
Ainsi la premièrequestion sur laquelle les conclusions du Portugal
appellent la Cour à décider est celle de savoir si, à la veille des
événements de 1954 qui se sont produits àDadra et à Nagar-Aveli,
le Portugal avait un droit de passage sur le territoire del'Inde dans
la mesure nécessaire à l'exercice de la souveraineté portugaise sur
les enclaves, droit soumis àlaréglementation et au contrôle de l'Inde.

Le Portugal demande àla Cour de lui reconnaître ce droit. L'Inde
la prie de déclarer cette demande non fondée.

A cette première demande, le Portugal en ajoute deux autres qui,
d'ailleurs, sont subordonnées à une réponse favorable qui serait
donnée, en totalité ou en partie, à la première demande: elles de-
viendront sans objet si le droit prétendu n'est pas reconnu. L'ex-

pression de ces deux demandes doit aussi êtrerecherchée dans les
conclusions déposéesle 6 octobre 1959 au nom du Portugal.
Le Portugal demande tout d'abord à la Cour de:
«Dire et juger
que l'Inde ne s'est pas conforméeaux obligationsque lui impose le
droit de passagedu Portugal. ))

Cette demande se réfèreexpressémentaux obligationsque le droit
de passage du Portugal entraîne à la charge de l'Inde et à ce titre it must be considered and decided by the Court, if the Court recog-
nizes the said right of passage.
However, the grounds set forth in support of this claim include
certain considerations which go beyond its subject-matter. Refer-
ence is made to the circumstances in which the alleged breach is
said to have occurred. Mention is made of the events leading to the
overthrow of Portuguese authority at Dadra and Nagar-Aveli in
July and August 1954 brought about, in particular, by the action
of elements coming from Indian territory. In this connection allu-
sion is made to India's failure to respect the obligation, said to be
binding on it under general international law, to adopt suitable
measures to prevent the incursion of subversive elements into the
territory of another State. With regard to the events of July 1954,

it is stated among the grounds in support of the Portuguese Sub-
missions that "the threat of action directed against the Portuguese
tenitories of India could not be a matter of which the Indian
Government was unaware"; that "it was clearly incumbent upon
the Indian Government to takethe measures which layin its power
to prevent the realization of such a design"; that "the Indian
Government took no such measures"; that, following the public
announcement of an expedition by the "United Front of Goans"
against Nagar-Aveli, "the Indian Government took no step to
prevent that second expedition"; and that, "so far from thus per-
forming its duty towards Portugal, it firmly opposed allcommuni-
cations of Portugal with the enclaves". All this is stated, not merely
to demonstrate in what circumstances India impeded or prohibited
passage by Portugal, but also to demonstrate that, as well as failing
to respect its specialobligation in the matter of passage, India was
in breach of a general obligation under international law; and the
grounds in support of the Submissions make this clear by adding,

after the description of the events of that time, that "the attitude
adopted by India is thus in two respects contrary to the duty im-
posed upon it by international law, since instead of protecting
Portugal against the unlawful enterprise with which the latter was
threatened, it placed Portugal in a situation in which it was im-
possible for that State to defend itself against that enterprise".
In terms much more definite even than the above, Counsel for
Portugal, speaking at the hearing of 29 October 1959, accused India
of failure to fulfil its international obligations by tolerating on its
territory enterprises directed against Portuguese authority at
Dadra, and later at Nagar-Aveli. India denied this and, more
particularly in the grounds set forth in answer to Portugal's second
Submission, "indignantly" rejects the accusation thus brought
against it, and explains what course it actually followed.
The Court is not required to deal with this issue, for it has not
been asked, either in the Application or in the final Submissions of
the Parties, to decide whether or not India's attitude towards those

who instigated and brought about the events which occurred in
28elle devra êtreexaminée par la Cour pour décision si ce droit de
passage est reconnu par elle.
Cependant, dans les motifs énoncésà l'appui de cette demande,

apparaissent desconsidérationsqui en dépassent l'objet. Le Portugal
fait allusion aux circonstances dans lesquelles se serait produit le
manquement allégué.11vise les événementsqui ont amené le ren-
versement de l'autorité portugaise à Dadra et à Nagar-Aveli en
juillet et août 1954 par l'action, notamment, d'éléments venusdu
territoire del'Inde. A ce propos, allusion est faite au manquement de
l'Inde aux obligations que le droit international générallui impose-
rait de prendre des mesures appropriées pour prévenir l'incursion
d'éléments subversifs dans le temtoire d'un autre Etat. A propos

des événements de juillet 1954, il est énoncédans les motifs des
conclusions portugaises que (la menace d'une action dirigéecontre
les territoires portugais del'Inde ne pouvait êtreignoréedu Gouver-
nement indien »,qu'a il incombait évidemment au Gouvernement
indien de prendre les mesures en son pouvoir pour prévenir la
réalisation d'un tel dessein »,que (le Gouvernement indien n'a pris
aucune mesurede cegenre »,qu'à la suite de l'annonce publique d'une
expédition du (Front Uni des Goanais ))contre Nagar-Aveli, ((le
Gouvernement indien ne prit aucune mesure pour empêchercette

seconde expédition ))et que, ((loin de remplir ainsi son devoir à
l'égarddu Portugal, il s'opposa rigoureusement à toutes communi-
cations de ce dernier avec les enclaves ». Tout cela n'est pas dit
seulement pour faire apparaître dans quelles circonstances les en-
traves au passage ou interdictions de celui-ci ont étéopposéespar
l'Inde au Portugal, mais pour faire également apparaître qu'il y a
eu, àcôtédu manquement à l'obligation spécialeincombant àl'Inde
en matière de passage, un manquement de sa part à une obligation
généraleselon le droit international; et les motifs des conclusions
le font nettement'apparaître en ajoutant à la description des événe-

ments de cette époque que ((l'attitude prise par l'Inde est donc
doublement contraire au devoir que le droit international lui
prescrivait, puisqu'au lieu de protéger le Portugal contre l'entreprise
illicitequi lemenaçait, elle l'a mis dans l'impossibilitéde se défendre
contre elle ».
Beaucoupplus nettement encore, àl'audience du 29 octobre 1959,
le conseil du Portugal a reproché à l'Inde d'avoir manqué à ses
obligations internationales en tolérant sur son territoire des entre-
prises dirigées contre l'autorité portugaise à Dadra, puis à Nagar-

Aveli. L'Inde s'en est défendue et, en particulier dans les motifs
qu'elle oppose à la deuxième conclusion du Portugal, elle a repoussé
((avec indignation 1)l'accusation ainsi dirigée contre elle en expli-
quant quelle a étéen fait sa conduite.
La Cour n'a pas à retenir cette contestation car ni dans la requête
ni dans les conclusions finales des Parties il ne lui est demandé de
dire si, par son attitude à l'égard de ceux qui ont provoqué et
effectuélesévénements survenus en 1954 à Dadra et à Nagar-Aveli,

2831 RIGHT OF Pi1SSAGE OVER INDIAN TERRITORY (JUDGM 1.2IV 60)
1954 at Dadra and Nagar-Aveli constituted a breach of its obli-

gations under international law. The Court is only asked to adjudi-
cate upon the compatibility of India's action with the obligations
resulting from Portugal's right of passage. It is not asked to deter-
mine whether India's conduct was compatible with any other obli-
gation alleged to be imposed upon it by international law.
This limitation derives from the very terms of the second claim
advanced by Portugal.

After setting forth these two claims, which refer, implicitly or
explicitly, to the past-thatis, to the legal situationas it existed in
1954 and to India's actions at that time-Portugal's Submissions
follow the course adopted in the Application and the Memorial,
but with greater complexity; they turn to the present and the future,
requesting the Court to determine certain measures to be adopted
in the event of a decision recognizing the right claimed by Portugal
and finding that India has committed a breach of its correlative
obligation. In this connection the Application and the Memorial
had merely sought respectively a decision by the Court, and a cal1
by the Court to India, designed to secure the termination of the
unlawful state of affairsresulting from India's alleged infringement
of Portugal's right. In the Submissions filed on behalf of the Govern-

ment of Portugal on 6 October 1959 his claim is put fonvardin an
alternative form depending upon whether or not the Court holds
that there should be a temporary suspension of the right of passage.
If the Court is not of opinion that there shouldbe such a suspension,
itis asked to decide "that India must end the measures by which it
opposes the exercice of the right of passage of Portugal". If the
Court is of opinion that there should be a temporary suspension
of the right of passage, it is asked to hold now that "this suspension
shall end as soon as the course of events discloses that the justifi-
cation for the suspension has disappeared".
Before putting fonvard its third claim, Portugal raised another
point. It invited the Court "to hold that the arguments of India ...
are without foundation" on three points. These are arguments
selected from the contentions by which India opposes the claims

made by Portugal regarding the decision it seeks as to the future
effect of the right of passage. These arguments relate to:

(1) "India's right to adopt an attitude of neutrality in the con-
flict between the lawful Government and the alleged insurgents";
(2) "The application of the provisions of the United Nations
Charter relating to human rights and to the right of self-determin-
ation of peoples";

(3) The bar constituted by "the existence in the enclaves of
a ..local government which is not represented before the Court" to
29l'Inde a manqué ou non à ses obligations selon le droit international.
Il n'est demandé à.la Cour de prononcer que sur la conformité de
l'action de l'Inde aux obligations que lui impose le droit de passage
du Portugal. Il ne lui est pas demandé d'apprécier la conformité de
la conduite de l'Inde à telle ou telle autre obligation que lui impose-

rait le droit international.
Telle est la limite résultant des termes mêmesde la seconde
demande énoncéepar le Portugal.

Après l'énoncé deces deux demandes qui implicitement ou ex-
plicitement se réfèrent au passé, à savoir à la situation juridique
existant en 1954 et aux actes de l'Inde à cette époque, les conclu-
sions du Portugal, à l'exemple de ce qu'avaient fait la requête et
le mémoire mais en une forme plus complexe, se tournent vers le
présent et l'avenir, invitant la Cour à déterminer certaines suites
à une décision portant reconnaissance du droit revendiqué par le
Portugal et constatation d'un manquement de l'Inde à son obliga-
tion correspondante. A cet égard, la requêteet le mémoires'étaient

bornés à demander, la première une décision,le second une invita-
tion,tendant à ce qu'il soit mis fin àl'étatde choses illicite résultant
de l'atteinte que l'Inde aurait portée au droit du Portugal. Dans
les conclusions déposéesau nom du Gouvernement du Portugal le
6 octobre 1959, cette demande est présentée avec une alternative
suivant que la Cour admettrait ou non une suspension momentanée
du droit de passage. Pour le cas où une telle suspension ne serait
pas admise, il est demandé à la Cour de décider que l'Inde doit
met, -efin aux mesures par lesquelles elle s'oppose à l'exercice du
droit Je passa-e du Portugal s.Au cas où la Cour admettrait une

suspension momc-ntanéedu droit de passage, il lui est demandé de
prononcer dèsmaintenant que (cette suspension devra prendre fin
dès que l'évolution de la situation en aura fait disparaître la justi-
fication ».
Avant de présenter cette troisième demande, le Portugal soulève
un autre point. Il invite la Cour à ((déclarer sans fondement les
thèses de l'Inde 1)sur trois points. Ce sont des thèses reprises de
l'argumentation de l'Inde en vue de rejeter les demandes for-
mulées par le Portugal au sujet de ce qu'il souhaite voir décider

par la Cour sur l'effet du droit de passage pour l'avenir. Cesthèses
concernent :
IO ((le droit de l'Inde d'adopter une attitude de neutralité dans
le conflit entre le Gouvernement légal et les prétendus insurgés »;
2" ((l'application des dispositionsde la Charte des Nations Unies

relatives aux droits de l'homme et au droit des peuples à disposer
d'eux-mêmes »;
3" L'obstacle ((que l'existence, dans les enclaves, d'un gouver-
nement local ...qui n'est pas représentédevant la Cour ))opposeraitthe Court's "adjudicating, in the present circumstances, on the
Portuguese claim".
It goes without saying that the Court would take such argu-
ments into consideration in the reasons for its Judgment if it re-

garded any of them as likely to assist it in arriving at the deci-
sion it is called upon to take. But it is no part of the judicial func-
tion of the Court to declare in the operative part of its Judgment
that any of those arguments is or is not well-founded.

Before proceeding to the consideration of the merits, the Court

must ascertain whether it has jurisdiction to do so, a jurisdiction
which India has expressly contested.
Following upon the Application instituting proceedings by Portu-
gal filed on 22 December 1955, the Court was seised of six preli-
minary objections raised by the Government of India. By a Judg-
ment given on 26 November 1957 the Court rejected four of them
and joined to the ments the two others, by which the Government
of India continued to dispute the jurisdiction of the Court to deàl
with the present case.
The Court has first to adjudicate upon these two objections,
which, as originally submitted, constituted the Fifth and Sixth Pre-
liminary Objections.

In its Fifth Preliminary Objection the Government of India
relied upon the reservation which forms part of its Declaration of
28 February 1940 accepting the jurisdiction of the Court and which
excludes from that jurisdiction disputes with regard to questions
which by international law fall exclusively within the jurisdiction
of India. The Government of India argues that on that score the
present dispute is outside the jurisdiction of the Court.
In support of its challenge of the jurisdiction the Government of
India contended, in the grounds in support of its Submissions of
21 October 1959, that :

"if its examination of the merits should lead the Court to a finding
that Portugal has not established the existence of the titles which
she has invoked, and thatthese titles must accordingly be regarded
as non-existent, it must follow that the question of the grant or
refusa1of the passage claimed overIndian territory falls exclusively
within thedomestic jurisdictionof India...".
That statement admits of no dispute, but it cannot be inferred
therefrom, as the Indian Government does, that the Court has no

jurisdiction, since the statement proceeds from a finding by the
Court that the titles invoked by Portugal are invalid. The Court
30 «à ce qu'il soit statué, dans les circonstances présentes, sur la
demande du Portugal 1).
Que de telles thèses soient prises en considération par la Cour
dans les motifs de son arrêt sielle estime que telle ou telle d'entre

elles est de nature à la guider dans la décision qu'elle est appelée
à rendre, cela va de soi. Mais prononcer dans le dispositif de l'arrêt
que telle ou telle de ces thèses est oui ou non fondéene rentre pas
dans les fonctions judiciaires de la Cour.

Avant d'examiner le fond, la Cour doit déterminer si elle est

compétente pour lefaire :c'est ce que l'Inde a expressémentcontesté.

A la suite de la requête introductive d'instance dont elle a été
saisie par le Portugal le22 décembre 1955, la Cour s'est trouvée en
présence de six exceptions préliminaires opposées par le Gouver-
nement de l'Inde. Par un arrêt rendu le 26 novembre 1957, la Cour
a rejeté quatre d'entre elles et joint au fond les deux autres par
lesquelles le Gouvernement de l'Inde a continué à contester la
compétence de la Cour pour connaître de la présente affaire.
La Cour doit tout d'abord statuer sur ces deux exceptions, les-
quelles dans leur présentation première constituaient les cinquième
et sixième exceptions préliminaires.

Dans sa cinquième exception préliminaire, le Gouvernement de
l'Inde s'est fondésurla résemeque comporte sa déclaration d'accep-
tation de la juridiction de la Cour, en date du 28 février 1940, q"
exclut de cette juridiction les différends relatifs à des questions
qui, d'après le droit international, relèvent exclusivement de la
juridiction de l'Inde. Le Gouvernement de l'Inde soutient qu'à ce
titre le présent différendéchappe à la compétence de la Cour.
A l'appui de cette contestation de compétence,le Gouvernement
de l'Inde a invoqué, dans les motifs de ses conclusions du 21 octobre

1959, que:
((sil'examen du fond conduit la Cour à la constatation que le Por-
tugaln'a pas établil'existencedes titres qu'ilinvoque et que ceux-ci
doivent dèslors êtreréputés inexistants,il en résulteraque la ques-
tion de l'octroiou du refus du passageréclamsur leterritoire indien
relèveexclusivement de la compétencenationale de l'Inde...».

Cette énonciation est incontestable, mais on ne peut en déduire,
comme le fait le Gouvernement de l'Inde, l'incompétence de la
Cour, puisque cette énonciation part de la constatation que la Cour
aurait faite de l'invalidité des titres invoqués par le Portugal.
30can only arrive at that finding after first establishing its competence
to examine the validity of these titles.

In the present case Portugal is claiming a right of passage over
Indian territory. It asserts the existence of a correlative obligation

upon India. It asks for a finding that India has failed to fulfil that
obligation. In support of the first two claims it invokes a Treaty of
1779 of which India contests both the existence and the interpre-
tation. Portugal relies upon a practice of which India contests not
only the substance, but also the binding character as between the
two States which Portugal seeks to attach to it. Portugal further
invokes international custom and the principles of international
law as it interprets them. To contend that such a right of passage
is one which can be relied upon as against India, to claim that such
an obligation is binding upon India, to invoke, whether rightly or
wrongly, such principles is to place oneself on the plane of inter-
national law. Indeed, in the course of the proceedings both Parties
took their stand upon that ground and on occasion expressly said
so. To decide upon the validity of those principles, upon the exis-
tence of such a right of Portugal as against India, upon such obli-
gation of India towards Portugal, and upon the alleged failure to
fulfilthat obligation,does not fa11exclusively within the jurisdiction
of India.
The Fifth Objection cannot therefore be upheld.

The Sixth Preliminary Objection by which India has challenged
the junsdiction of the Court likewise relates to a limitation of

India's acceptance of the jurisdiction of the Court, as set out in
its Declaration of 28 February 1940.
By the terms of that Declaration India accepted the jurisdiction
of the Court "over all disputes arising after February 5th, 1930,
with regard to situations or facts subsequent to the same date".
India contends that the present dispute does not satisfy either of
the two conditions stated and that the Court is therefore without
jurisdiction.
In order to form a judgment as to the Court's jurisdiction it is
necessary to consider what is the subject of the dispute.
A passage in the Application headed "Subject of the Dispute"
indicates that subject as being the conflict of views which arose
between the two States when, in 1954, India opposed the exercise
of Portugal's right of passage. If this were the subject of the dis-
pute referred to the Court, the challenge to the jurisdiction could
not be sustained. But it appeared from the Application itself and it
was fully confirmed by the subsequent proceedings, the Submissions
of the Parties and statements made in the course of the hearings,
that the dispute submitted to the Court has a threefold subject :

31La Cour ne peut faire une telle constatation que si elle s'est re-
connue tout d'abord compétente pour connaître de la valeur de
ces titres.
En la présente affaire, le Portugal prétend à un droit de passage
sur le territoire de l'Inde. Il prétend à I'existence d'une obligation
correspondante à la charge de l'Inde. II prétend faire reconnaître
un manquement de l'Inde à ladite obligation. A l'appui des deux
premières demandes, il invoque un traité de 1779 dont l'Inde
conteste tant I'existence que l'interprétation. Le Portugal invoque
une pratique dont les éléments, ainsi que le caractère obligatoire

que le Portugal entend y rattacher entre les deux États, sont
contestéspar l'Inde. Le Portugal invoque encore la coutume inter-
nationale et les principes du droit international tels qu'il les inter-
prète. Invoquer un tel droit de passage comme opposable à l'Inde,
invoquer une telle obligation à la charge de celle-ci, invoquer de
tels principes, que ce soit à raison ou à tort, c'est se placer sur le
terrain du droit international. En fait, au cours de la procédure,
l'une et l'autre Parties se sont placéessur ce terrain et l'ont parfois
expressément déclaré.Décider de la valeur de tels principes, pro-
noncer sur I'existence d'un tel droit du Portugal à l'encontre de
l'Inde, d'une telle obligation de l'Inde vis-à-vis du Portugal, ainsi
que du manquement prétendu à cette obligation, ne relève pas

exclusivement de la juridiction de l'Inde.
La cinquième exception ne saurait donc êtreretenue.

La sixième exception préliminaire par laquelle l'Inde a contesté
la compétencedela Cour se réfère, elleaussi, à une limite à l'accep-
tation par l'Inde de la juridiction de la Cour qu'a énoncée sa décla-
ration du 28 février 1940.
Aux termes de celle-ci, l'Inde a acceptéla juridiction de la Cour
((pour tous les différendsnésaprèsle 5 février1930, concernant des

situations ou des faits postérieurs à ladite date ».L'Inde soutient
que le présent différendne répond à aucune des deux conditions
énoncéeset qu'en conséquence,la Cour n'a pas compétence.

Pour apprécier la compétence de la Cour, il faut considérer quel
est l'objet du différend.
Un passage de la requêteintitulé ((Objet du différend )a présenté
cet objet comme I'opposition de vues surgie entre les deux États
quand, en 1954,l'Inde s'est opposéeàl'exercice du droit de passage
du Portugal. Si tel était l'objet du différendsoumis à la Cour, la
contestation de compétence soulevée nepourrait êtreretenue. Mais
il résultait déjà de la requêteet il a étéamplement confirmé par

la suite dela procédure,lesconclusions des Parties et les déclarations
faites à l'audience que le différend soumis à la Cour a un triple
objet : (1) The disputed existence of a right of passage in favour of
Portugal ;

(2) The alleged failure of India in July 1954 to comply with its
obligations concerning that right of passage;
(3) The redress of the illegal situation flowing from that failure.

The dispute before the Court, having this three-fold subject,
could not arise until al1 its constituent elements had come into
existence. Among these are the obstacles which India is alleged to
have placed in the way of exercise of passage by Portugal in 1954.
The dispute therefore as submitted to the Court could not have
originated until 1954. Thus it satisfies the time-condition to which
the Declaration of India made its acceptance of the jurisdiction
of the Court subject.
Even if we consider only the part of the dispute relating to the
Portuguese claim, which India contests, to a right of passage over

Indian territory, the position is the same. It is clear from the
material placed before the Court that before 1954,passage waseffect-
ed in a way recognized as acceptable to both sides. Certain incidents
occurred, but they did not lead the Parties to adopt clearly-defined
legal positions as against each other. The "conflict of legal views"
between Parties which the Permanent Court of International
Justice in the case of the Mavrommatis Palestine Concessions
(Series A, No. 2, p. II) includes in its definition of a dispute had not
yet arisen. This is clear in particular from statements made by
Counsel for India at the hearings of 15October and 3 November,
and by Counsel for Portugal at the hearing of 28 October 1959.

Accordingly there is no justification for saying that the dispute

before the Court arose before 5 February 1930. There is not there-
fore, so far as the date of the birth of the dispute is concerned,
any bar to the jurisdiction of the Court.
But India further contends that the dispute is one with regard
to facts and situations prior to that date and that this takes it
outside the jurisdiction of the Court.
On the point here under consideration, the Declaration of
28 February 1940, by which India has accepted the jurisdiction of
the Court, does not proceed on the principle of excluding from that
acceptance any given disputes: It proceeds in a positive manner on
the basis of indicating the gisputes which are included within that
acceptance. By its terms, the jurisdiction of the Court is accepted

"over al1disputes arising after February 5th, 1930, with regard to
situations or facts subsequent to the same date".
In accordance with tge terms of the Declaration, the Court must
hold that it has juridiction if it finds that the dispute submitted to
it is a dispute with'regard to a situation subsequent to 5 Febru-
ary 1930 or is on6 with regard to facts subsequent to that date.DROIT DE PASSAGE SUR TERRITOIRE INDIEN (ARRÉT 12 IV 60) 34

1) Existence contestée d'un droit de passage au profit du
Portugal ;
2) Manquement que l'Inde aurait commis, en juillet 1954, à ses
obligations concernant ce droit de passage ;

3) Redressement de la situation illégalerésultant de ce manque-
ment.

Le différend soumis à la Cour ayant ce triple objet n'a pu naître
que lorsque tous ses élémentsconstitutifs ont existé. Parmi ces
élémentsse trouvent les obstacles que l'Inde aurait, en 1954,
apportés à l'exercice du passage par le Portugal. Le différend tel
qu'il est soumis à la Cour n'a. donc pu naître qu'en 1954. Ainsi
répond-il à la condition relativeà la date de sa naissance qu'a posée
la déclaration de l'Inde portant acceptation de la juridiction de la
Cour.

A ne considérermêmeque la partie du différendqui porte sur la
prétention du Portugal, contestéepar l'Inde, à un droit de passage
sur le territoire de l'Inde, il n'en est pas autrement. Il résulte, en
effet, de ce qui a étéexposéà la Cour qu'avant 1954le passage avait
été pratiquéd'une manière admise comme acceptable de part et
d'autre. Quelques incidents s'étaient produits mais sans amener
les Parties à prendre des positions de droit nettement définieset
s'opposant l'une àl'autre.L'« opposition de thèsesjuridiques »entre
Parties que la Cour permanente de Justice internationale, en l'af-

faire des concessionsMavrommatis enPalestine (SérieA, no 2,p. II),
fait entrer dans sa définition du différend ne s'étaitpas encore pro-
duite. C'est ce qui ressort notamment des dires des conseils de
l'Inde aux audiences du 15 octobre et du 3 novembre et du conseil
du Portugal à l'audience du 28 octobre 1959.
Rien ne permet donc de dire que le différend soumis à la Cour
a pris naissance avant le 5 février 1930. Il n'y a donc pas, du côté
de la naissance du différend,d'obstacle à la compétence de la Cour.

Mais l'Inde soutient, d'autre part, que le différend concernedes
faits et situations antérieurs à cettedate et que cela le fait échapper
à la compétence de la Cour.
Sur le point ici considéré,la déclaration du 28 février 1940 par
laquelle l'Inde a accepté la juridiction de la Cour ne procède pas
en excluant de cette acceptation tels ou tels différends.Elle procède
d'une faqon positive en indiquant les différends qui sont compris

dans cette acceptation. Selon ses termes, la juridiction de la Cour
est acceptée «pour tous les différends nésaprès le 5 février 1930,
concernant des situations ou des faits postérieurs à ladite date )).
1
Conform6ment aux termes de cette déclaration, la Cour doit se
déclarer compétente si elle constate que le différend qui lui a été
soumis concerne une situation postérieure au 5 février 1930 OU
concerne des faits postérieurs à cette mêmedate.

32 The facts or situations to which regard must be had in this con-
nection are those with regard to which the dispute has ansen or,
in other words, as was said by the Permanent Court in the case
conceming the Electricity Company of Sofia and Bulgaria, only
"those which must be considered as being the source of the disputeJ',
those which are its "real cause". The Permanent Court, in this
connection, was unwilling to regard as such an earlier arbitral award
which was the source of the rights claimed by one of the Parties,
but which had given rise to no difficulty pnor to the facts consti-
tuting the subject of the dispute. "It is true", it said, "that a
dispute may presuppose the existence of some prior situation or
fact,but it does not follow that the dispute anses in regard to that

situation or fact." (SerieA/B, No. 77, p. 82.) The Permanent Court
thus drew a distinction between the situations or facts which con-
stitute the source of the rights claimed by one of the Parties and
the situations or facts which are the source of the aspute. Only
the latter are to be taken into account for the purpose of applying
the Declaration accepting the jurisdiction of the Court.
The dispute submitted to the Court is one with regard to a
situation and, at the same time, with regard to certain facts: on
the one hand there is the situation of the Portuguese enclaveswithin
the-territory of India, which gave rise to the need for a right of
passage for Portugal and to its claim to such a right; on the other
hand there are the facts of 1954which Portugal advances as showing
the failure of India to comply with its obligations, infringements
of that right.
Up to 1954 the situation of those territories may have given rise
to a few minor incidents, but passage had been effected without
any controversy as to the title under which it was effected. It was
only in 1954 that such a controversy arose and the dispute relates
both to the existence of a right of passage to go into the enclaved
tenitories and to India's failure to comply with obligations which,
according to Portugal, were binding upon it in this connection. It
was from al1 of this that the dispute referred to the Court arose;
it is with regard to all of this that the dispute exists. This whole,
whatever may have been the earlier origin of one of its parts, came
into existence only after 5 February 1930. The time-condition to
which acceptance of the jurisdiction of'the Court was made subject

by the Declaration of India is therefore complied with.
A finding that the Court has jurisdiction in this case will not
involve giving any retroactive effect to India's acceptance of the
compulsory jurisdiction, an effect against which the Permanent
Court, in the Phosphates in Moroccocase, sought to utter a warning
as one which would be in conflict with the intention which led to
such acceptance (Series A/B, No. 74, p. 24). The Court indeed will
only have to pass upon the existence of the right claimed by Portu-
gal as at July 1954, upon the alleged failure of India to comply
with its obligations at that time and upon any redress in respect of
33 Les faits ou situations qu'il faut ici retenir sont ceux que le

différend concerne ou, en d'autres termes, comme l'a dit la Cour
permanente dans l'affaire de la Coeagnie d'Électricitéde Sofia et
de Bulgarie, (uniquement ceux qui doivent êtreconsidéréscomme
générateursdu différend »,ceux qui en sont ((réellement la cause ».
La Cour permanente n'a pas consenti à retenir, à cet égard, une
sentence arbitrale ancienne, source des droits revendiqués par l'une
des Parties mais qui n'avait donnélieu à aucune difficultéantérieure
aux faits faisant l'objet du différend. (11est vrai, a-t-elle dit, qu'un
différendpeut présupposer l'existence d'une situation ou d'un fait
antérieur, mais il ne s'ensuit pas que le différends'élèveau sujet
de cette situation ou de ce fait. 1)(SérieA/B, no 77, p. 82.) Ainsi la

Cour permanente a distinguéentre les situations ou faits qui consti-
tuent la source des droits revendiqués par l'une des Parties et les
situations ou faits générateurs du différend. Seuls ces derniers
doivent êtreretenus pour l'application de la déclaration portant
acceptation de la juridiction de la Cour.

Le différendsoumis à la Cour concerne à la fois une situation et
certains faits: d'une part la situation d'enclaves portugaises dans
le territoire de l'Inde, ce qui a fait naître le besoin d'un droit de
passagepour le Portugal et sa prétention à un tel droit, d'autre part
les faits de 1954 que le Portugal présente comme comportant des
manquements de l'Inde à ses obligations, des atteintes à ce droit.

Jusqu'en 1954,la situation de ces territoires avait pu donner lieu
à quelques incidents mineurs mais le passage avait été pratiqué
sans controverse sur le titre selon lequel il était pratiqué. C'est en
1954seulement qu'une telle controverse a surgi et le différendporte
à la fois sur l'existence d'un droit de passage pour accéder aux
territoires enclavéset sur le manquement de l'Inde aux obligations
qui, selon le Portugal, lui incomberaient à cet égard. C'est de cet
ensemble qu'est néle différendsoumis à la Cour; c'est cet ensemble
que concerne le différend. Cet ensemble, quelle que soit l'origine
ancienne de l'une de ses parties, n'a existé qu'aprèsle 5 février1930.

La condition de date mise à la compétencede la Cour par la décla-
ration de l'Inde se trouve donc remplie.

Reconnaître ici la compétence de la Cour ne sera pas donner à
l'acceptation par l'Inde de la juridiction obligatoire un effet rétro-
actif contre lequel, dans l'affaire des Phosphates du Maroc, la Cour
permanente a entendu mettre en garde comme étant opposé à
l'intention qui a guidéune telle acceptation (Série A/B, no74, p. 24).
La Cour n'aura en effet à prononcer que sur l'existence du droit
prétendu par le Portugal en juillet 1954, sur le manquement allégué
de l'Inde à ses obligations à cette date et sur le redressement éven-
tuel d'un tel manquement. Il n'est pas demandé à la Cour de dire

33 RIGHT OF PASSrlGE OVER INDIAN TERRITORY (JUDGM. 12 IV 60)
36
such a failure. The Court has not been asked for any finding whatso-
ever with regard to the past prior to 5 February 1930.
It would be idle to argue that the contentions put fonvard with
regard to the existence of a right of passage would, if that question
had been argued before 1930, have been the same as when it is

today. Apart from the fact that that consideration relates only to
a part of the present dispute, it overlooks the fact that the condition
to which the Court's jurisdiction is subject does not relate to the
nature of the arguments susceptible of being advanced. The fact
that a treaty, of greater or lesser antiquity, that a rule of inter-
national law, established for a greater or lesser period, are invoked,
is not the yardstick for the jurisdiction of the Court according to
the Indian Declaration. That Declaration is limited to the require-
ment that the dispute shall concern a situation orfacts subsequent to
5 February 1930: the present dispute satisfies that requirement.

The Court is therefore of opinion that the Sixth Objection should
not be upheld and, consequently, it is of opinion that it has juris-
diction to deal with the present dispute.

The Court will now proceed to consider the merits.
It follows from what has been indicated above, that the Court
has only three questions to consider on the merits:
(1)The existence in 1954 of a right of passage in Portugal's
favour to the extent necessary for the exercise of its sovereignty

over the enclaves, exercise of that right being regulated and con-
trolled by India;
(2) Failure by India in 1954 to fulfil its obligation in regard to
that right of passage;

(3) In the event of a finding of such failure, the remedy for the
resulting unlawful situation.
Portugal claims a right of passage between Daman and the en-
claves, and between the enclaves, across intervening Indian terri-
tory, to the extent necessary for the exercise of its sovereignty over
the enclaves, subject to India's right of regulation and control of

the passage claimed, and without any immunity in Portugal's
favour. It claims further that India is under obligation so to exer-
cise its power of regulation and control as not to prevent the pas-
sage necessary for the exercise of Portugal's sovereignty over the
enclaves.
India contends that the right claimed by Portugal is too vague and
contradictory to enable the Court to pass judgment upon it by the
application of the legal rules enumerated in Article 38 (1)of the
Statute. Portugal answers that the right which it claims is definite
enough for determination on the basis of international law, and that

al1that the Court is called upon to do is to declare the existence
34et juger quoi que ce soit concernant le passéantérieur au 5 février

19En vain invoquerait-on que les arguments sur l'existence du droit
de passage auraient étéles mêmessi cette question avait été dé-

battue avant 1930 que lorsqu'elle l'est aujourd'hui. Outre que cette
considération ne se réfère qu'à unepartie du présent différend, elle
perd de vue que la condition mise à la compétence de la Cour ne
se réfèrepas àla nature des arguments susceptibles d'être invoqués.
Le fait qu'un traité plus ou moins ancien, qu'une règle de droit
international établie depuis plus ou moins longtemps sont invoqués
ne sert aucunement de mesure à la juridiction de la Cour selon la
déclaration de l'Inde. Celle-ci s'en tient au fait que le différend
concerne une situation ou des faits postérieurs au 5 février 1930:
le présent différendsatisfait à cette exigence.

La Cour estime donc n'avoir pas à.retenir la sixièmeexception et,
en conséquence, elle s'estime compétente pour connaître du présent

différend.

La Cour examinera maintenant le fond de l'affaire.
Il résulte de ce qui a déjà été ditqu'en ce qui concerne le fond

la Cour n'a à retenir que:
IO La question de l'existence en 1954 au profit du Portugal d'un
droit de passage dans la mesure nécessaire à l'exercice de sa sou-
veraineté sur lesenclaves,avecréglementation et contrôle par l'Inde
de l'exercice de ce droit;

2" La question du manquement de l'Inde, en 1954, àson obliga-
tion relative à ce droit de passage;
3" Siun tel manquement est reconnu, la question du redressement
de la situation illicite qui en résulte.

Le Portugal revendique un droit de passage entre Damao et les
enclaves et entre ces enclaves elles-mêmes,sur le temtoire indien
intermédiaire, dans la mesure nécessaire à l'exercice de sa souve-
raineté sur ces enclaves, sous réserve du droit pour l'Inde de
réglementer et de contrôler le passage réclaméet sans aucune im-
munité en faveur du Portugal. Il soutient en outre que l'Inde est
obligéed'exercer ses pouvoirs de réglementation et de contrôle de
manière à ne pas empêcherle passage nécessaire à l'exercice de la
souveraineté portugaise dans les enclaves.
L'Inde soutient que le droit revendiqué par le Portugal est trop

vague et contradictoire pour que la Cour puisse se prononcer à son
sujet par application des règles juridiques énumérées à l'article 38
(1) du Statut. Le Portugal répond que le droit revendiqué par lui
est suffisamment précispour que l'on puisse en connaître sur la base
du droit international et que la Cour est simplement appelée àof the right in favour of Portugal, leaving its actual exercise to be
regulated and adjusted between the Parties as the exigencies of
the day-to-day situation might require.
India argues that the vague and contradictory character of the
right claimed by Portugal is proved by Portugal's admission that
on the one hand the exercise of the right is subject to India's regu-
lation and control as the territorial sovereign, and that on the other
hand the right is not accompanied by any immunity, even in the
case of the passage of armed forces.
There is no doubt that the day-to-day exercise of the right of
passage as formulated by Portugal, with correlative obligation
upon India, may give rise to delicate questions of application, but
that is not, in the view of the Court, sufficient ground for holding
that the right is not susceptible of judicial determination with
reference to Article38 (1)of the Statute. The Court is satisfied that
the right of passage claimed by Portugal has, in the circumstances,
been defined with sufficient precision to enable the Court to pass
upon it.

In support of itsclaim, Portugal relies on the Treaty of Poona of
1779 and on sanads (decrees), issued by the Maratha ruler in 1783
and 1785, as having conferred sovereignty on Portugal over the
enclaves with the right of passage to them.

India objects on various grounds that what is alleged to be the
Treaty of 1779 was not validly entered into and never became in
law a treaty binding upon the Marathas. The Court's attention has,
in this connection, been drawn inter alia to the divergence between
the different texts of the Treaty placed before the Court and to
the absence of any text accepted as authentic by both parties and
attested by them or by their duly authorized representatives. The
Court does not consider it necessary to deal with these and other
objections raised by India to the form of the Treaty and the proce-
dure by means of which agreement upon its terms was reached. It
is sufficient to state that the validity of a treaty concluded as long
ago as the last quarter of the eighteenth century, in the conditions
then prevailing in the Indian Peninsula, should not be judged upon
the basis of practices and procedures which have since developed
only gradually. The Marathas themselves regarded the Treaty of
1779 as valid and binding upon them, and gave effect to its pro-

visions. The Treaty is frequently referred to as such in subsequent
forma1 Maratha documents, including the two sanads of 1783 and
1785, which purport to have been issued in pursuance of the Treaty.
The Marathas did not at any time cast any doubt upon the validity
or binding character of the Treaty.déclarer l'existence dece droit en faveur du Portugal, en laissant
aux Parties le soin d'en régleret d'en aménagerle mode d'exercice
selon les exigences de la situation du moment.
L'Inde prétenddécouvrirle caractère vague et contradictoire du
droit revendiquépar le Portugal dans l'admissionpar celui-cid'une
part que l'exercice de ce droit est soumiàla réglementationet au
contrôle de l'Inde en qualité de souverain territorial, d'autre part
que ce droit n'est pas assorti d'immunités,mêmequand il s'agit du
passage de forces années.
11n'est pas douteux que l'exercicejournalier du droit de passage
tel qu'il est énoncpar le Portugal, avec obligation correspondante
à la charge de l'Inde, peut donner lieu à de délicates questions
d'application; mais cela ne constitue pas, aux yeux de la Cour, un
judiciaire de ce droit sur la base de l'article (1)edu Statut. Lae
Cour estime que le droit de passage revendiqué par le Portugal a
été définienl'espèceavecuneprécision suffisantepour luipermettre
de se prononcer à son sujet.

A l'appui de sa demande, le Portugal invoque le traité de Poona
de 1779, conjointement avec des sanads (décrets)émispar le sou-
verain mahratte en 1783 et 1785, comme lui ayant conféréla
souveraineté sur les enclaves avec le droit de passage pour y
accéder.
L'Inde objecte, pour plusieurs raisons, que ce que l'on présente
comme le traité de 1779 n'a pas étévalablement conclu et n'est
jamais devenuendroit un traitéobligeantlesMahrattes. L'attention
de la Cour a étéattirée en particulier, à cet égard,sur les diver-
gences entre les différentstextes du traitéprésentésla Couret sur
l'absence de texte acceptécomme authentique par les deux parties
et certifiépar elles ou par leursreprésentants dûment autorisés.La
Courne juge pas nécessairede traiter de cesobjections, ni des autres
objections élevéepsar l'Inde quantà la forme du traité et quanàla
procéduresuivant laquelle un accord s'estfait sur sestermes. Qu'il
suffisede dire que la validitéd'un traité conclà une époque aussi
lointaine que le dernier quart du dix-huitième siècle, dans les
conditions qui régnaient alors dans la péninsule indienne, ne doit
pas êtreappréciée sur la base depratiques et deprocéduresqui ne se
sont développées depuislorsque graduellement. Les Mahrattes eux-
mêmesont considéréle traité de 1779 comme valide et ayant
pour eux force obligatoire; ils en ont exécutéles clauses. Le traité
est fréquemment cité comme tel dans les documents officiels
mahrattes ultérieurs, notamment dans les deux sanads de 1783 et
1785 qui se présentent comme émisen application du traité. A
aucun moment les Mahrattes n'ont formulé dedoute quant à la
validité ou quant au caractère obligatoire du traité.
35 India contends further that the Treaty and the two sanadsof 1783
and 1785 taken together did not operate to transfer sovereignty
over the assigned villages to Portugal, but only conferred upon it,
with respect to the villages, a revenue grant of the value of 12,000
rupees per annum called a jagir or saranjam.

Article 17 of the Treaty is relied upon by Portugal as constituting
a transfer of sovereignty. From an examination of the various texts
of that article placed before it, the Court is unable to conclude that
the language employed therein was intended to transfer sovereignty
over the villages to the Portuguese. There are several instances on
the record of treaties concluded by the Marathas which show that,
where a transfer of sovereignty was intended, appropriate and

adequate expressions like cession "in perpetuity" or "in perpetual
sovereignty" were used. The expressions used in the two sanads
and connected relevant documents establish, on the other hand,
that what was granted to the Portuguese was only a revenue tenure
called a jagir or saranjam of the value of 12,000 rupees a year. This
was a very common form of grant in India and not a single in-
stance has been brought to the notice of the Court in which such a
grant has been construed as amounting to a cession of territory in
sovereignty.
It is argued that the Portuguese were granted authority to put
down revolt or rebellion in the assigned villages and that this is an
indication that they were granted sovereignty over the villages.
The Court does not consider that this conclusion is well-founded. If
the intention of the Marathas had been to grant sovereignty over

the villages to the Portuguese, it would have been unnecessary for
the grant to recite that the future sovereign would have authority
to quel1a revolt or rebellion in his own territory. In the context in
which this authorization occurs, it would appear that the intention
was that the Portuguese would have authority on behalf of the
Maratha ruler and would owe a dutyto him to put down any revolt
or rebellion in the villages against his authority.
It therefore appears that the Treaty of 1779 and the sanads of
1783 and 1785 were intended by the Marathas to effect in favour of
the Portuguese only a grant of a jagir or saranjam, and not to
transfer sovereignty over the villages to them.

Having regard to the view that the Court has taken of the charac-
ter of the Maratha grant in favour of the Portuguese, the situation
during the Maratha period need not detain the Court further in its
consideration of Portugal's claim of a right of passage to and from
the enclaves. During the Maratha penod sovereignty over the
villages comprised in the grant, as well as over the intervening
territory between coastal Daman and the villages, vested in the
Marathas. There could, therefore, be no question of any enrlave or
of any right of passage for the purpose of exercising sovereignty

over enclaves. The fact that the Portuguese had access to the villages
36 L'Inde prétend en outre que, pris ensemble, le traité et les deux

sanads de 1783 et 1785 n'ont pas opéréen faveur du Portugal un
transfert de souveraineté sur les villages à lui assignés,mais simple-
ment la concession d'un revenu de 12 000 roupies par an portant
sur ces villages, concession appelée jagir ou saranjam.
C'est l'articl17 du traité que le Portugal invoque comme ayant
emporté transfert de souveraineté. La Cour ne saurait conclure de
l'examen des différents textes de cet article qui lui ont étésoumis

que leur teneur ait viséun transfert de souveraineté sur les villages
en faveur des Portugais. Le dossier contient plusieurs exemples de
traités conclus par les Mahrattes qui montrent que, lorsqu'il s'agis-
sait d'opérer un transfert de souveraineté, ils employaient des ex-
pressions appropriées et adéquates telles que cession « à perpétuité ))
ou «en souveraineté perpétuelle 1)D'autre part les termes utilisés
dans les deux sanads et les documents pertinents qui s'y rapportent
établissent qu'il n'a étéconcédé aux Portugais qu'une tenure d'ordre
fiscal, appelée jagir ou saranjam, d'une valeur annuelle de 12 ooo
roupies. C'était là une forme de concession très répandue aux Indes
et il n'a pas étésignaléà la Cour un seul cas où une concession de
cet ordre ait étéinterprétée comme équivalant à une cession de
territoire en souveraineté.

Il est alléguéque les Portugais s'étaient vu reconnaître le pouvoir
d'étouffer les révoltes ou rébellions qui se produiraient dans les
villages assignés,ce qui indiquerait une cession de souveraineté sur
ces villages. La Cour ne juge pas cette conclusion bien fondée.Si
les Mahrattes avaient eu l'intention de céder aux Portugais la sou-
veraineté sur les villages, il aurait étéinutile de préciser dans la
concession que le futur souverain aurait le pouvoir de réprimer les
révoltes ou rébellions éclatant sur son propre territoire. Dans les
conditions où cette autorisation a étédonnée, l'intention semble
avoir étéque les Portugais exerceraient ce pouvoir au nom du
souverain mahratte et auraient à l'égard de celui-ci l'obligation
d'étouffertoute révolte ou rébellion contre son autorité.
Il apparaît donc que l'intention des Mahrattes était d'opéreren

faveur des Portugais, par le traité de 1779 et les sanads de 1783 et
1785, une simple concession de jagir ou saranjam et non un transfert
de souveraineté sur les villages.
Eu égard à son opinion sur le caractère de la concession faite par
les Mahrattes aux Portugais, la Cour n'a pas à s'arrêter aux cir-
constances de la période mahratte pour examiner la prétention du

Portugal à un droit de passage vers les enclaves et à partir de
celles-ci. Au cours de la période mahratte, la souveraineté sur les
villages viséspar la concession, ainsi que sur le territoire s'étendant
entre l'arrondissement côtier de Damao et les villages, appartenait
aux Mahrattes. Il ne pouvait donc êtrequestion d'enclaves, ni de
droit de passage en vue d'exercer une souveraineté sur des enclaves.
Le fait que le Portugal avait accèsaux villages pour la perception
36for the purpose of collecting revenue andin pursuit of that purpose
exercised such authority as had been delegated to them by the
Marathas cannot, in the view of the Court, be equated to a right
of passage for the exercise of sovereignty.

It is clear from a study of the material placed before the Court
that the situation underwent a change with the advent of the
British as sovereign of that part of the country i~ place of the
Marathas. The British found the Portuguese in occupation of the
villages and exercising full and exclusive administrative authority
over them. They accepted the situation asthey found it andleft the
Portuguese in occupation of, and in exercise of exclusive authority
over, the villages. The Portuguese held themselves out as sovereign
over the villages. The British did not, as successors of the Marathas,
themselves claim sovereignty, nor did they accord express recog-

nition of Portuguesesovereignty,over them. The exclusive authority
of the Portuguese over the villages was never brought in question.
Thus Portuguese sovereignty over the villages was recognized by
the British in fact and by implication and was subsequently tacitly
recognized by India. As a consequence the villages comprised in the
Maratha grant acquired the character of Portuguese enclaveswithin
Indian territory.
For the purpose of determining whether Portugal has established
the right of passage claimed by it, the Court must have regard to
what happened during the British and post-British periods. During
these periods, there had developed between the Portuguese and the
territorial sovereign with regard to passage tothe enclavesa practice
upon which Portugal relies for the purpose of establishing the right
of passage claimed by it.
With regard to Portugal's claim of a right ofpassage as formulated
by it on the basis of local custom, it is objected on behalf of India
that no local custom could be established between only two States.

It is difficult to see why the number of States between which a
Iocal custom may be established on the basis of long practice must
necessarily be larger than two. The Court sees no reason why long
continued practice between two States accepted by them as
regulating their relations should not form the basis of mutual rights
and obligations between the two States.

As already stated, Portugal claims a right of passage to the extent
necessary for the exercise of its sovereignty over the enclaves,with-
out any immunity and subject to the regulation and control of
India. In the course of the written and oral proceedings, the exis-
tence of the right was discussed with reference to the different
categories making up the right, namely private perçons, civil
officials,goods in general,armed forces, armea police, and arms and

37 d'un revenu et qu'il exerçait à cette fin les pouvoirs à lui délégués
par les Mahrattesvne saurait, de l'avis de la Cour, êtreégaléà un
droit de passage en vue d'exercer une souveraineté.

Il ressort clairement de l'étude des documents soumis à la Cour
que la situation se modifia avec l'accession des Britanniques à la
souveraineté sur cettepartie du pays au lieu et place des Mahrattes.
Les Britanniques trouvèrent les Portugais occupant les villages et

y exerçant leur pleine et exclusive autorité administrative. Accep-
tant la situation telle qu'ils l'avaient trouvée, ils laissèrent les
Portugais occuper les villages et y exercer une autorité exclusive.
Les Portugais se présentèrent comme souverains des villages. Les
Britanniques s'abstinrent deprétendre eux-mêmes àla souveraineté
en qualité de successeurs des Mahrattes, mais ils ne reconnurent pas
non plus expressément la souveraineté du Portugal. L'autorité
exclusive des Portugais sur les villages ne fut jamais mise en
question. Ainsi la souveraineté du Portugal sur les villages fut-elle
reconnue par les Britanniques en fait et par implication; elle le fut
ensuite tacitement par l'Inde. En conséquence, les villages visés
par la concession mahratte acquirent le caractère d'enclaves portu-
gaises en territoire indien.
En vue de déterminer si le Portugal a établi le droit de passage
qu'il revendique, la Cour doit prendre en considération ce qui s'est
passé au cours des périodes britannique et post-britannique. Au

cours de ces périodes, le passage vers les enclaves a donné lieu,
entre les Portugais et le souverain territorial,à une pratique que
le Portugal invoque pour établir le droit depassage par lui réclamé.

En tant que cette prétention du Portugal à un droit de passage
est formulée par ce pays sur la base de la coutume locale, il est
alléguéau nom de l'Inde qu'aucune coutume locale ne saurait se
constituer entre deux États seulement. On voit difficilement pour-
quoi le nombre des États entre lesquels une coutume locale peut
se constituer sur la base d'une pratique prolongée devrait néces-
sairement êtresupérieur à deux. La Cour ne voit paçde raison pour
qu'une pratique prolongée et continue entre deux Etats, pratique
acceptée par eux comme régissant leurs rapports, ne soit pas à

la base de droits et d'obligations réciproques entre ces deux États.
Ainsi qu'il a déjà étédit, le Portugal revendique un droit de
passage dans la mesure nécessaire à l'exercice de sa souveraineté
sur les enclaves, sans aucune immunité et sous la réglementation
et le contrôle de l'Inde. Dans les écritures et en plaidoirie, la dis-
cussion relative à l'existence de ce droit a visé les différentes caté-
gories auxquelles il s'appliquerait,à savoir les personnes privées,
les fonctionnaires civils, les marchandises en général, les forcesammunition. The Court will proceed to examine whether such a
right as is claimed by Portugal is established on the basis of the
practice that prevailed between the Parties during the British and
post-British periods in respect of each of these categories.
It is common ground between the Parties that the passage of
private perçons and civil officialswas not subject to anyrestrictions,
beyond routine control, during these periods. There is nothing on
the record to indicate the contrary.
Goods in general, that is toSay, al1merchandise other than arms
and ammunition, also passed freely between Daman and the en-
claves during the periods in question, subject only, at certain times,
to customs regulations and such regulation and control as were
necessitated by considerations of security or revenue. The general

prohibition of the transit of goods during the Second World War
and prohibitions imposed upon the transit of Salt and, on certain
occasions, upon that of liquor and materials for the distillation of
liquor, were specific measures necessitated by the considerations
just referred to. The scope and purpose of each prohibition were
clearly defined. In al1 other cases the passage of goods was freeNo
authorization or licence was required.

The Court, therefore, concludes that, with regard to private
persons, civil officials and goods in general there existed during the
British and post-British penods a constant and uniform practice
allowing freepassage between Daman andthe enclaves. Thispractice
having continued over a period extending beyond a century and a
quarter unaffected by the change of regime in respect of the inter-
vening territory which occurred when India became independent,
the Court is, in view of allthe circumstances of the case, satisfied
thatthat practice was accepted as law by the Parties and has given
rise to a right and a correlative obligation.

The Court therefore holds that Portugal had in 1954 a right of
passage over intervening Indian temtory between coastal Daman
and the enclaves and between the enclaves, in respect of private
perçons, civil officials and goods in general, to the extent necessary,
as claimed by Portugal, for the exercise of its sovereignty over the

enclaves, and subject to the regulation and control of India.

As regards armed forces, armed police and arms and ammunition,
the position is different.
It appears that during the British period up to 1878 passage of
armed forces and armed police between British and Portuguese
possessions was regulated on a basis of reciprocity. No distinction
appears to have been made in this respect with regard to passage
between Daman and the enclaves. There is nothing to show that
passage of armed forces and armed police between Daman and the
38armées, la police arméeet les armes et munitions. La Cour recher-
chera pour chacune de ces catégories si le droit réclamépar le
Portugal est établi sur la base de la pratique développéeentre les
Parties au cours des périodes britannique et post-britannique.
Il est admis de partet d'autre que, durant ces périodes,le passage
des personnes privées et des fonctionnaires civils n'a étésoumis à
aucune restriction, en dehors du contrôle normal. Rien dans le
dossier n'indique le contraire.

Les marchandises en général, c'est-à-dire toutes les marchandises
à l'exclusion des armes et munitions, ont également passélibrement
entre Damao et les enclaves au cours des périodes en question, sous
la seule réserve, à certaines époques, des règlements douaniers et
des règlements et contrôles nécessitéspar des considérations de
sécuritéou de fiscalité. L'interdiction générale du transit des mar-
chandises édictéeau cours de la seconde guerre mondiale et les
prohibitions imposéessur le transit du sel et, à certains moments,
sur celuidel'alcool et des produits destinésàla fabricationde l'alcool
étaient des mesures particulières justifiées par les considérations
dont il vient d'être fait état. La portée et le but de chacune de ces
interdictions étaient clairement définis. Dans tous les autres
cas, le passage des marchandises a étélibre. Ni autorisation ni
licence n'étaient exigées.
La Cour conclut donc qu'en ce qui est des personnes privées, des
fonctionnaires civils et des marchandises en général il a existé au
cours des périodes britannique et post-britannique une pratique

constante et uniforme de libre passage entre Damao et les enclaves.
Cette pratique s'étant maintenue sur une période de plus d'un
siècle un quart, sans être affectée par le changement de régime
survenu dans le territoire intermédiaire lorsque l'Inde eut acquis
son indépendance, la Cour considère, eu égard à tcutes les circons-
tances de lJespè&, que cettepratique a étéacceptéepar les Parties
comme étant le droit et a donné naissance à un droit et à une
obligation correspondante.
En conséquence, la Cour estime que le Portugal avait en 1954
un droit de passage entre l'arrondissement côtier de Damao et les
enclaves et entre ces enclaves elles-mêmes,sur le territoire indien
intermédiaire, pour les personnes privées, les fonctionnaires civils
et les marchandises en généraI,dans la mesure nécessaire, conformé-
ment à la demande du Portugal, à l'exercice de sa souveraineté
sur les enclaves et sous la réglementation et le contrôle de l'Inde.
En ce qui concerne les forces armées, la police arméeet les armes
et munitions, la situation est différente.

Il apparaît qu'au cours de la périodebritannique le passage des
forces arméeset de la police arméeentre possessions britanniques et
portugaises a, jusqu'en 1878, étéréglésur une base de réciprocité.
Il ne paraît pas avoir étéfaitdedistinction àcetégardpour le passage
entre Damao et les enclaves. Rien n'indique que le passage des
forces arméeset de la police armée entre Damao et les enclaves ou
3senclaves or between the enclaves was permitted or exercised as of
right.
Paragraph 3 of Article XVIII of the Treaty of Commerce and
Extradition of 26 December 1878 between Great Britajn and
Portugal laid down that the armed forces of the two Governments
should not enter the Indian dominions of the other, except for the
purposes specifiedin former Treaties, or for the rendering of mutual
assistance as provided for in the Treaty itself, or in consequence of
a formal request made by theParty desiring such entry. Subsequent

correspondence between the British and Portuguese authorities in
India shows that this provision was applicable to passage between
Daman and the enclaves.
It is argued on behalf of Portugal that on twenty-three occasions
during the years 1880-1889Portuguese armed forces crossed British
territory between Daman and the enclaves without obtaining per-
mission. In this connection, it should be observed that on 8 Decem-
ber 1890the Government of Bombay fonvarded to the Government
of Portuguese India a complaint to the effect that "armed men in
the service of the Portuguese Government are in the habit of
passing without forma1 request through a portion of the British
Pardi talztka of Surat en route from Daman to Nagar Haveli and
back again. It would appear that the provisions of Article XVIII
of the Treaty are thus violated." In his letter of22 December 1890
addressed to the Governor of Bombay, the Governor-General of
Portuguese India stated: "On so delicate a subject 1request leave
to observe that Portuguese troops never cross British territory
without previous permission", and went on to add: "For centuries
has this practice been followed, whereby the treaties have been

respected and due deference shown to the British Authorities." The
statement that this practice concerning the passage of armed forces
from the territory of one State to that of the other had continued
over a long period even before the enclaves came into existence
finds support, for instance,in a Treaty of 1741between the Marathas
and the Portuguese which contained the following provision: "A
soldier of the Sarkar [Maratha ruler] entering the territory of Daman
will do so only with the permission of the Firangee [Portuguese].
If a soldier of the Firangeewere to enter the territory of the Sarkar,
he Ml1 do so only with the permission of the Sarkar. There is no
reason to enter without permission."
In consequence of the British complaint that passage of armed
men between Daman and the enclaves took place in contravention
of Article XVIII of the Treaty of 1878 and of the reply of the
Governor-General of Portuguese India of 22 December 1890, a
certain amount of further correspondence took place andthe matter
was concluded with the assurance contained in the letter of the
Secretary-General of the Government of Portuguese India dated

I May 1891, in which he stated: "His Excellency thanks you for
the communication with regard to the circumstances in which the entre les enclaves elles-mêmesait étéautorisé ou exercéà titre de
droit.
Le troisième alinéa de l'article XVIII du traité de commerce et

d'extradition du 26 décembre 1878 entre la Grande-Bretagne et le
Portugal disposait que la force armée de l'un des deux gouverne-
ments n'entrerait dans les possessions indiennes del'autre que dans
les cas spécifiéspar des traités antérieurs, ou pour se prêter un
mutuel secours comme il était prévu dans le traité même, ou
encore sur demande formelle de la partie désirant cette entrée.La

correspondance échangéepar la suite entre autorités britanniques
et portugaises aux Indes prouve que cette disposition était appli-
cable au passage entre Damao et les enclaves.
Le Portugal cite vingt-trois cas remontant aux années 1880-1889
où les forces armées portugaises auraient traversé sans autorisation
le territoire britannique entre Damao et les enclaves. Il convient
d'observer à cet égard que, le 8 décembre1890, le Gouvernementde

Bombay se plaignit auprès du Gouvernement de l'Inde portugaise
de ce que: ((des hommes en armes au service du Gouvernement
portugais ont l'habitude de traverser sans en formuler officiellement
la demande une partie du taluka britannique de Pardi (district de
Surat) en se rendant de Damao à Nagar-Aveli et retour. Il semble
que cela constitue une violation des dispositions de l'article XVIII
du traité. ))Dans une lettre adresséele 22 décembre1890au gouver-

neur de Bombay, legouverneurgénéral de l'Inde portugaise déclara:
(Sur un sujet aussi délicat, je me permettrai de faire observer que
les troupes portugaises ne traversent jamais le territoire britannique
sansautorisation préalable )et il ajouta: (Cette pratique a étéobser-
véedepuis dessièclesen respect des traités et par déférence à l'égard
des autorités britanniques. ))L'affirmation que la pratique relative

au passage des forces armées du temtoire d'un État sur celui de
l'autre était en usage depuislongtemps, avant mêmela créationdes
enclaves, est corroboréenotamment par un traité lusc-mahratte de
1741qui contient la disposition suivante :((Un soldat du Sarkar [sou-
verain mahratte] pénétrant sur le territoire de Damao ne le fe-a
qu'avec l'autorisation du Firanger [Portugais]. Si un soldat du
Firangee doit entrer sur le territoire du Sarkar, il ne le fera qu'avec

la permission du Sarkar. 11n'y a aucun motif d'entrer sans permis-
sion. ))

A la suite de la plainte formuléepar les Britanniques au sujet du
passage de membres des forces armées entre Damao et les enclaves
contrairement à 1'articleXVIII du traité de 1878 et à la suite de la
réponse du gouverneur général de l'Inde portugaise en date du

22 décembre 1890, d'autres lettres furent échangéeset l'affaire prit
fin avec les assurances donnéespar lesecrétairegénéraldu Gouverne-
ment de l'Inde portugaise dans une lettre du I~~ mai 1891 où il
déclarait: ((Son Excellence vous remercie d'avoir bien voulu lui
fournir des renseignements sur la façon dont se présente la question

39matter is placed, and requests me to state that on the part of this
Government injunctions will be given for the strictest observance
of the provisions of Article XVIII of the Anglo-PortugueseTreaty."
The Court is not concerned with the question whether any vio-
lation of the relevant provision of the Treaty in fact took place.
Whether any such violation did or did not take place, the legal

position with regard to the passage of armed forces between Daman
and the enclaves appears clearly from this correspondence.
The requirement of a forma1 request before passage of armed
forces could take place was repeated in an agreement of 1913.
With regard to armed police, the position was similar to that of
armed forces. The Treaty of 1878 regulated the passage of armed
police on the basis of reciprocity. Paragraph 2 of Article XVIII of
the Treaty made provision for the entry of the police authorities
of the parties into the territories of the other party for certain
specific purposes, e.g., the pursuit of criminals and perçons engaged
in smuggling and contraband practices, on a reciprocal basis. An
agreement of 1913 established an arrangement providing for a
reciprocal concession permitting parties of armed police to cross
intervening territory, provided previous intimation was given. An

agreement of 1920 provided that armed police below a certain rank
should not enter the territory of the other party without consent
previously obtained.
An agreement of 1940 concerning passage of Portuguese armed
police over the Daman-Silvassa (Nagar-Aveli) road provided that,
if the party did not exceed ten in number, intimation of its passage
should be given to the British authorities within twenty-four hours
after passage had taken place, but that "If any number exceeding
ten at a time are required so to travel at any time the existing
practice should be followed and concurrence of the British authori-
ties should be obtained by prior notice as heretofore."

Both with regard to armed forces and armed police, no change
took place during the post-British period after India became
independent.

It would thus appear that, during the British and post-British
periods, Portuguese armed forces and armed police did not pass
between Daman and the enclaves as of right and that, after 1878,
such passage could only take place with previous authorization by
the British and later by India, accorded either under a reciprocal
arrangement already agreed to, or in individual cases. Having regard
to the special circumstances of the case, this necessity for autho-
rization before passage could take place constitutes, in the view
of the Court, a negation of passage as of right. The practice
predicates that the territorial sovereign had the discretionary
power to withdraw or to refuse permission. It is argued that per-
mission was always granted, but this does not, in the opinion of
the Court, affect the legal position. There is nothing in the record

40et me prie de déclarer que ce Gouvernement donnera des ordres
pour la stricte observation des dispositions de l'article XVIII du
traité anglo-portugais. ))
La Cour n'a pas à rechercher s'il y a effectivement eu violation
de la disposition pertinente du traité. Qu'il y ait eu violation ou
non, la correspondance en question montre clairement quelle était

la situation juridique en matière de passagedes forces arméesentre
Damao et les enclaves.
L'exigence d'une demande formelle préalable au passage des
forces armées se retrouve dans un accord de 1913.
Pour la police armée, la situation était la mêmeque pour les
forces armées.Le traité de 1878réglait lepassage de la police armée
sur une base de réciprocité. Le deuxième alinéa de l'article XVIII
de ce traité prévoyait, sur une base de réciprocité, l'entrée des
autorités de police de chacune des parties sur le territoire de l'autre
pour certains buts déterminés, tels que la poursuite des criminels
et des personnes se livrant à la contrebande. Un accord de 1913
prévoyait, à titre de concession réciproque, que des unités de police
armée pourraient traverser le territoire intermédiaire à condition

que notification préalable en fût donnée.Un accord de 1920dispo-
sait qu'au-dessous d'un certain rang les policiers armés ne péné-
treraient pas sur le territoire de l'autre partie sans consentement
préalable.
Un accord de 1940 relatif au passage des' policiers portugais
armés sur la route de Damao à Silvassa (Nagar-Aveli) énonçait
que, si leur nombre n'était pas supérieur à dix, leur passage devrait
être signalé aux autorités britanniques dans les vingt-quatre
heures suivant ce passage mais que, S'il étaitnécessairede faire
circuler, à un moment quelconque, un nombre de policiers supérieur
à dix à la fois, la pratique actuelle devrait êtresuivie et l'assenti-
ment des autorités britanniques obtenu comme auparavant par
voie de notification préalable. ))

Que ce soit pour les forces armées ou pour la police armée, il
n'est intervenu -aucun changement au cours de la période post-
britannique, après l'accession de l'Inde à l'indépendance.
Il apparaît donc qu'au cours des périodes britannique et post-
britannique les forces armées et la police armée portugaises ne
passaient pas entre Damao et les enclaves àtitre de droit et qu'après
1878 leur passage n'a pu avoir lieu qu'avec l'autorisation préalable
des Britanniques, puis des Indiens, donnée soit en vertu d'un
accord réciproque antérieur, soit dans des cas d'espèce. La Cour
estime qu'eu égard aux circonstances spéciales de l'espèce I'exi-
gence d'une autorisation préalable au passage est la négation
mêmede l'exercice du passage à titre de droit. La pratique suppose
que le souverain territorial avait le pouvoir discrétionnaire de
retirer ou de refuser son autorisation. II est alléguéque cette autori-

sation était toujours accordée mais, de l'avis de la Cour, cela ne
saurait affecter la situation juridique. Rien dans le dossier n'indique
40 to show that grant of permission was incumbent on the British
or on India as an obligation.
As regards arms and ammunition, paragraph 4 of Article XVIII
of the Treaty of 1878 provided that the exportation of arms, ammu-
nition or rnilitary stores from the territories of one party to those
of the other "shall not be permitted, except with the consent of,
and under rules approved of by, the latter".

Rule 7 A, added in 1880 to the rules framed under the Indian
Arms Act of 1878, provided that "nothing in des 5,6, or 7 shall be
deemed to authorize the grant of licences ...to import any arms,
ammunition or military stores from Portuguese India, [or]to export
to Portuguese India ..[such objects] ..except ..by a special
licence". Subsequent practice shows that this provision applied to
transit between Daman and the enclaves.

There was thus established a cleardistinction between the practice
permitting free passage of private perçons, civil officials and goods
in general, and the practice requiring previous authorization, as
in the case of armed forces, armed police, and arms and ammu-
nition.
The Court is, therefore, of the view that no right of passage in
favour of Portugal involving a correlative obligation on India has
been established in respect of arrned forces, armed police, and arms
and ammunition. The course of dealings established between the
Portuguese and the British authorities with respect to the passage
of these categories excludes the existence of any such right. The
practice that was established shows that, with regard to these cate-
gories, it was well understood that passage could take place only by
permission of the British authorities. This situation continued
during the post-British penod.

Portugal also invokes general international custom, as well as
the general principles of law recognized by civilized nations, in
support of its claim of a right of passage as formulated by it. Having
arrived at the conclusion that the course of dealings between the
British and Indian authorities on the one hand and the Portuguese
on the other established a practice, well understood between the
Parties, by virtue of which Portugal had acquired a right of passage
in respect ofprivate perçons, civil officials and goods in general, the
Court does not consider it necessary to examine whether general
international custom or the general principles of law recognized by
civilized nations may lead to the same result.

As regards armed forces, armed police and arms and ammunition,
the finding of the Court that the practice established between theque les Britanniques ou les Indiens aient étéobligésd'accorder leur
autorisation.
Quant au passage des armes et munitions, le traité de 1878
dispose, en son article XVIII, quatrième alinéa, que l'exportation
d'armes, de munitions ou de fournitures militaires des possessions

de l'une des parties vers celles de l'autre ((ne sera point permise
excepté avecleconsentement de cette dernière et sous les règlements
approuvés par elle 1).
La règle 7 A, ajoutée en 1880 aux règles édictéesen vertu de
l'lndian Arms Act de 1878, énonçait: «Rien dans les règles 5,
6 ou 7 ne sera considérécomme autorisant l'octroi de licences ...en
vue d'importer des armes, munitions ou fournitures militaires en
provenance de l'Inde portugaise [ou d'en] exporter à destination
de l'Inde portugaise ...[sans] licence spéciale.»La pratique suivie
par la suite montre que cette disposition s'est appliquée au transit
entre Damao et les enclaves.
Ainsi une distinction nette était établie entre la pratique admet-
tant le libre passage des personnes privées, des fonctionnaires civils
et des marchandises en généralet la pratique consistant à exiger
une autorisation préalable, comme c'était le cas pour les forces
armées, la police armée et les armes et munitions.
La Cour estime par conséquent qu'un droit de passage en faveur
du Portugal avec obligation correspondante à la charge de l'Inde

n'a été établini pour les forces armées, ni pour la police armée, ni
pour les armes et munitions. La manière de procéder suivie par les
autorités portugaises et britanniques pourle passage de cescatégories
exclut l'existence d'un tel droit. La pratique qui s'était constituée
prouve qu'on était bien d'accord sur le fait que, pour ces catégories,
le passage ne pouvait avoir lieu qu'avec la permission des autorités
britanniques. Cette situation s'est continuée au cours de la période
post-britannique.

Le Portugal invoque également, à l'appui de sa prétention à un
droit de passage telle qu'il la formule, la coutume internationale
générale etles principes généraux de droit reconnus par les nations
civilisées. Etant parvenue à la conclusion que la manière de pro-
cédersuivie par les autorités britanniques et indiennesd'une part et
portugaises de l'autre a constitué une pratique sur laquelle les

Parties étaient bien d'accord et en vertu de laquelle le Portugal
avait acquis un droit de passage pour les personnes privées, les
fonctionnaires civils et les marchandises en général,la Cour ne juge
pas nécessairederechercher si la coutume internationale généraleou
les principes généraux de droit reconnus par les nations civilisées
peuvent conduire au mêmerésultat.
En ce qui est des forces armées, de la police armée et des armes
et munitions, la Cour ayant constaté que la pratique établie entreParties required for passage in respect of these categories the
permission of the British or Indian authorities, renders it un-
necessary for the Court to determine whether or not, in the
absence of the practice thatactually prevailed, general international
custom or the general principles of law recognized by civilized
nations could have been relied upon by Portugal in support of its
claim to a right of passage in respect of these categories.
The Court is here dealing with a concrete case having special
features. Historically the case goes back to a period when, and
relates to a region in which, the relations between neighbouring
States were not regulated by precisely formulated niles but were
governed largely by practice. Where therefore the Court finds a

practice clearly established between two States which was accepted
by the Parties as governing the relations between them, the Court
must attribute decisive effect to that practice for the purpose of
determining their specific rights and obligations.Such a particular
practice must prevail over any general rules.

Having found that Portugal had in 1954 a right of passage over
intervening Indian territory between Daman and the enclaves in
respect of private persons, civil officials and goods in general, the
Court will proceed to consider whether India has acted contrary to
its obligation resulting from Portugal's right of passage in respect
of any of these categories.
Portugal complains of the progressive restriction of its right of
passage between October 1953 and July 1954. It does not, however,

contend that India had, during that period, acted contrary to its
obligation resulting from Portugal's right of passage. But Portugal
complains that passage was thereafter denied to Portuguese natio-
nal~ of European origin,whether civil officialçorprivate persons, to
native Indian Portuguese in the employ of the Portuguese Govern-
ment, and to a delegation that the Governor of Daman proposed
to send to Nagar-Aveli and Dadra.

It may be observed that the Governor of Daman was granted the
necessary visas for a journey to and back from Dadra as late as
21 JU~Y 1954.
The events that took place in Dadra on 21-22 July 1954resulted
in the overthrow of Portuguese authority in that enclave. This
created tension in the surrounding Indian temtory. Thereafter al1
passage was suspended by India. India contends that this became
necessary in view of the abnormal situation which had arisen in
Dadra and the tension created in surrounding Indian tenitory.

On 26 July the Portuguese Government requested that delegates
of the Governor of Daman (if necessary limited to three) should beles Parties exigeait pour le passage de ces catégories la permission
des autorités britanniques ou indiennes, il est sans intérêt de
déterminer si, en l'absence de la pratique qui a effectivement
prévalu, le Portugal aurait pu fonder sa prétention à un droit de
passage pour ces catégories sur la coutume internationale générale
ou les principes générauxde droit reconnus par les nations civilisées.

La Cour se trouve en présence d'un cas concret présentant des
caractères spéciaux. Par ses origines, l'affaire remonte à une

période et concerne une région où les rapports entre Etats voisins
n'étaient pas régis par des règles formulées avec précision, mais
largement commandés par la pratique. Par conséquent, se trouvant
en présence d'une pratique clairement établie entre deux Etats et
acceptée par les Parties comme régissant leurs rapports, la Cour
doit attribuer un effet décisif à cettepratique en vue de déterminer
leurs droits et obligations spécifiques. Une telle pratique particu-
lière doit l'emporter sur des règles généraleséventuelles.

Ayant admis que le Portugal avait en 1954 un droit de passage
entre Damao et les enclaves, sur le territoire indien intermédiaire,
pour les personnes privées, les fonctionnaires civils et les mar-
chandises en général, la Cour recherchera si l'Inde a agi contraire-
ment à l'obligation que lui imposait le droit de passage du Portugal

pour chacune de ces catégories.
Le Portugal se plaint des restrictions progressives apportées à
son droit de passage entre octobre 1953 et juillet1954, sans toute-
fois prétendre quel'Inde ait,au cours decette période,agicontraire-
ment àl'obligation queluiimposait le droit de passage du Portugal.
Mais le Portugal se plaint de ce qu'ensuite le passage ait étérefusé
aux ressortissants portugais d'origine européenne, soit fonction-
naires, soit personnes privées, aux Portugais d'origine indienne au
service du Gouvernement portugais et à une délégation que le
gouverneur de Damao se proposait d'envoyer à Nagar-Aveli et à
Dadra.
On peut observer que, le 21 juillet1954 encore, le gouverneur de
Damao se voyait accorder les visas nécessaires pour se rendre à
Dadra et en revenir.
Les événementsqui se produisirent à Dadra le 21-22 juillet1954

aboutirent au renversement de l'autorité portugaise dans cette
enclave, ce qui suscita une certaine tensiondans le territoire indien
environnant. L'Inde suspendit alors tout passage. Elle allègue que
cela fut rendu nécessairepar la situation anormale apparue àDadra
et la tension crééedans le territoire indien environnant.
Le 26 juillet, le Gouvernement portugais demanda que des délé-
gués du gouverneur de Damao (au besoin limités au nombre de
42enabled to go to Nagar-Aveli in order to enter into contact with the
population, examine the situation and take the necessary admini-
strative measures on the spot. The request stated that if possible
this delegation would also visit Dadra and examine the situation
there. It mentioned that the delegation could be routed directly to
Nagar-Aveli from Daman and need not necessarily pass through
Dadra. The Government of India in its reply dated 28 July refused
this request. The reply stressed interalia the tension that prevailed

in the intervening Indian temtory, and went on to state:

"This tension is bound to increase if Portuguese officials are
permitted to go acrossIndian territory for the purposes mentioned
in the note. The passage of these officialsacross Indian temtory
might also lead to other undesirable consequences in view ofthe
strong feelingswhich have been aroused by the repressive actions
of the Portuguese authorities. Inhese circumstances, therefore, the
Govemment of India regret that they cannot entertain the demand
ofthe Portuguese authorities for facilities to enable them to send a
delegation from Daman to Dadra and Nagar-Aveli across Indian
territory."
In view of the tension then prevailing in intervening Indian
tefitory, the Court is unable to hold that India's refusal of passage
to the proposed delegation and its refusal of visas to Portuguese
nationals of European origin and to native Indian Portuguese in the
employ of the Portuguese Government was action contrary to its
obligation resulting from Portugal's right of passage. Portugal's

claim of a right of passage is subject to fullrecognition and exercise
of Indian sovereignty over the intervening temtory and without
any immunity in favour of Portugal. The Court is of the view that
India's refusal of passage in those cases was, in the circumstances,
covered by its power of regulation and control of the right of passage
of Portugal.

For these reasons,

by thirteen votes to two,

rejects the Fifth Preliminary Objection;
by eleven votes to four,
rejects the Sixth Preliminary Objection;

by eleven votes to four,
finds that Portugal had in 1954 a right of passage over intervening

Indian territory between the enclaves of Dadra and Nagar-Aveli
and the coastal district of Daman and between these enclaves, to
the extent necessary for the exercise of Portuguese sovereignty over
43trois) pussent serendre à Nagar-Aveli afin d'entrer en contact avec
la population, d'examiner la situation et de prendre sur place les
mesures adniinistratives nécessaires. La demande ajoutait que, si
possible, la délégationvisiterait aussi Dadra pour y examiner la
situation. Elle exposait que cette délégationpourrait se rendre
directement de Damao à Nagar-Aveli, sans nécessairement passer
par Dadra. Le Gouvernement de l'Inde repoussa cette demande
dans une réponse datée du 28 juillet. La réponse soulignait entre
autres raisons la tension régnant dans le territoire indien inter-
médiaire et énonqait:

(Cette tension ne fera qu'augmenter si des fonctionnaires por-
tugais sont autorisésà traverser le temtoire de l'Inde aux fins
mentionnéesdans la note. Le passage de cesfonctionnaires travers
le territoire indien pourrait aussi entraîner des conséquencesindési-
rables en raison dela violence dessentiments suscitéspar les actes
de répression desautorités portugaises. Dans ces conditions, le
Gouvernement de l'Inde regrette par conséquent de ne pouvoir
donner suiteà la demande des autoritésportugaises pour l'octroide
facilités leur permettant d'envoyer une délégationde Damao à
Dadra et Nagar-Aveli àtravers leterritoire del'Ind».
En raison de la tension existant alors dans le territoire indien
intermédiaire, la Cour ne saurait considérerque le refus de passage
opposé par l'Inde à la délégationproposée, ni le refus de visas

aux ressortissants portugais d'origine européenne et aux Por-
tugais d'origine indienne au service du Gouvernement portugais
aient étécontraires à l'obligation qu'imposait à l'Inde le droit de
passage du Portugal. La demandeportugaise de droit de passage est
subordonnée à la pleine reconnaissance et à l'exercice de la souve-
raineté de l'Inde sur le territoire intermédiaire, sans aucune im-
munité enfaveur du Portugal. La Cour estimeque lerefus de passage
opposédans ces cas par l'Inde relevait en l'espècede son pouvoir de
réglementation et de contrôle du droit de passage du Portugal.

Par ces motifs,

par treize voix contre deux,
rejette la cinquièmeexception préliminaire;

par onze voix contre quatre,
rejette la sixième exception préliminaire;

par onze voix contre quatre,
dit que le Portugal avait en 1954 un droit de passage entre les
enclaves de Dadra et de Nagar-Aveli et l'arrondissement côtier de
Damao et entre ces enclaves elles-mêmes,sur le territoire indien
intermédiaire, dans la mesure nécessaire à l'exercice de la souverai-

43the enclaves and subject to the regulation and control of India, in
respect ofprivate persons, civil officials and goods in general;

by eight votes to seven,
finds that Portugal did not havin 1954 such a right of passage in
respect of armed forces, armed police, and arms and ammunition;

by nine votes to six,
finds that India has not acted contrary toits obligations resulting
from Portugal's right of passage in respect ofvate persons, civil
officials and goods in general.

Done in English and French, the English text being authoritative,
at the Peace Palace, The Hague, this twelfth day of April, one
thousand nine hundred and sixty, in three copies, one of which will
be placed in the archives of the Court and the others transmitted
to the Government of the Portuguese Republic and to the Govern-
ment of the Republic of India, respectively.

(Signed) Helge KLAESTAD,
President.

(Signed) GARNIER-COIGNET,

Deputy-Registrar.

The PRESIDENTand Judges BASDEVANT B,ADAWI,KOJEVNIKOV

and SPIROPOULOa Sppend Declarations to the Judgment of the
Court.

Judge WELLINGTON KOOappends to the Judgment of the Court
a statement of hiseparate Opinion.

Judges WINIARSKIand BADAWIappend to the Judgment of the
Court a statement of their Joint Dissenting Opinion. Judges
ARMAND-UGONM , ORENOQUINTANAand Sir Percy SPENDER
and Judges ad hoc CHAGLAand FERNANDESappend to the
Judgment of the Court statements of their Dissenting Opinions.

(Initialied)G.-C.neté portugaise sur ces enclaves et sous la réglementation et le
contrôle de l'Inde, pour les personnes privées, les fonctionnaires
civils et les marchandises en général;

par huit voix contre sept,
dit que le Portugal n'avait e1954ce droit de passage ni pour les
forces armées,ni pour la police armée,nipourlesarmes et munitions;

par neuf voix contre six,
dit que l'Inde n'a pas agi contrairementaux obligations que lui
imposait le droit de passage du Portugal pour les personnes privées,
les fonctionnaires civils et les marchandises en général.

Fait en anglais et en français, le texte anglais faisant foi, au
Palais de la Paix, La Haye, le douze avril mil neuf cent soixante,
en trois exemplaires, dont l'un restera déposéaux archives de la
Cour et dont les autres seront transmis respectivement au Gouver-
nement de la République du Portugal et au Gouvernement de la
République de l'Inde.

Le Président,
(Signé)Helge KLAESTAD.

Le Greffier adjoint,

(Signé)GARNIER-COIGNET.

Le PRÉSIDENTet MM. BASDEVANTB , ADAWI,KOJEVNIKOVet
SPIROPOULOS ju,ges, joignenàl'arrêtdes déclarations.

M WELLINGTON KOO,juge, joint à l'arrêtl'exposéde son opinion
individuelle.

MM. WINIARSKIet BADAWI,juges, joignent à l'arrêt l'exposé
commun de leur opinion dissidente. MM. ARMAND-UGON M,ORENO
QUINTANA et sir Percy SPENDER,juges, et MM. CHAGLAet
FERNANDES,juges ad hoc, joignent à l'arrêt les exposés de leur
opinion dissidente.

(Paraphé)H. K.
(Paraphé) G.-C.

ICJ document subtitle

Merits

Document file FR
Document Long Title

Judgment of 12 April 1960

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