Prime Minister of Bhutan Tshering Tobgai, Chief Justice of India Justice DY Chandrachud and others during a meeting in Bhutan. File | Photo: PTI
Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud, along with his Bhutanese counterpart Lyonpo Chogyal Dago Rigdzin, presided over the signing of four Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) aimed at enhancing judicial and legal cooperation between the two neighboring countries.
Apart from the Chief Justice, the CJI, who was on an official visit to Bhutan from October 7 to 10, also met the Himalayan country’s King, Princess Sonam Dechan Wangchuck and Prime Minister Dasho Tshering Tobgai and discussed a number of issues with them. including the “unique and special ties of friendship and cooperation” between the two countries.
On October 9, Justice Chandrachud discussed ways to strengthened bilateral judicial cooperation with its Bhutanese counterpart.
“In the premises of the Supreme Court of Bhutan, the two Chief Justices presided over the signing of four Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) aimed at enhancing judicial and legal cooperation between India and Bhutan. These include the signing of the MoU between the two Supreme Courts to improve judicial cooperation; renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding between the National Judicial Academy, Bhopal and the Bhutan National Law Institute on cooperation in legal education and capacity building between the two institutions; renewal of MoU between National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru and JSW Faculty of Law for Legal Education and Research and signing of MoU between Indian Council of Arbitration and Bhutan Alternative Dispute Resolution Center on cooperation on strengthening and promoting arbitration and mediation,” the apex court said in a statement.
The CJI graced the third convocation ceremony of the Jigme Singye Wangchuck (JSW) School of Law on October 8 and delivered an inspiring speech at the inauguration.
Justice Chandrachud expressed a philosophy and said he had served his country with “utmost dedication” amid “fears and anxieties” about how history would judge his tenure, the statement said.
He also said that there is a misconception that the traditional values of the Indian and Bhutanese communities are antithetical to modern democratic ideas such as freedom, equality and dissent.
The ceremony was presided over by Bhutanese Princess Sonam Dechan Wangchuck, Founding President of JSW Law School, Bhutan National Law Institute and Bhutan Bar Council.
On October 9, the CJI addressed a meeting on — “Improving Judicial Accountability and Public Confidence: Leveraging Transparency and Technology”.
Judges should act in a manner that is “unencumbered” by popular morality while deciding constitutional and legal issues, the CJI said, adding that institutional trust in the judiciary and its reliability is the very foundation of a thriving constitutional order.
“The CJI’s visit to Bhutan provided an opportunity for both countries to outline a robust framework for enhanced cooperation in the judicial and legal sector. The visit confirmed the exemplary bilateral partnership characterized by trust, goodwill and mutual understanding at all levels,” the statement said.
Published – October 11, 2024, 4:31 PM IST
