Contentious Jurisdiction Law and Legal Definition
Contentious jurisdiction refers to jurisdiction of a court to deal with matters in controversy between parties. A contentious jurisdiction is in contradistinction to voluntary jurisdiction. This type of jurisdiction is mainly exercised by the International Court of Justice [ICJ] to resolve dispute arising between member states. For ICJ to involve in dispute between the states, first the states concerned have to give consent for the same. The decision of the ICJ is binding on the parties concerned to the issue. To exercise the contentious jurisdiction, the ICJ decides the case in accordance with international law.
