India to host 18th meeting of Chief Justices of Supreme Courts of SCO countries from March 10 to 12

New Delhi [India], March 9 (ANI): With the aim to foster judicial cooperation among Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member countries, the Supreme Court of India is hosting the 18th meeting of Chief Justices and Chairperson of the Supreme Courts of SCO from March 10-12.

In a press statement, the apex court said Chief Justices and Chairpersons of the Supreme Courts of SCO member States have been invited to attend the meeting. The meeting is likely to witness discussions on Smart Courts and the future of the Judiciary; Facilitating Access to Justice; Institutional Challenges facing Judiciary: Delays, Infrastructure, Representation, and
Transparency.

The meeting will involve a joint interaction with the Chief Justices, Chairpersons, Judges from the Member and Observer States and representatives from SCO Secretariat and SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) and will conclude with the signing of a joint statement.

The Indian participation in the meeting will include the Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Judges of the Supreme Court, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and KM Joseph among others.

The statement said CJI Chandrachud will be speaking on – “Smart Courts” and the future of the Judiciary. Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul will speak on – Facilitating “Access to Justice” (Justice should not be limited to privileged): Issues, Initiative, and Prospects and Justice KM Joseph, will speak on “Institutional Challenges facing Judiciary: Delays, Infrastructure, Representation and Transparency”

In the active and constantly expanding activities of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the interaction of the highest judicial instances is becoming more and more popular.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation was created in 2001 on the basis of “Shanghai five” formed after the signing by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Russia and Tajikistan.

The main goal of SCO is to strengthen mutual trust, friendship and good neighbourliness, encouraging effective cooperation in several areas among the member states.

SCO members include China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia constitute the SCO observers while Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal are the SCO dialogue partners. The SCO Charter, the regulations on meetings of heads of ministries and/or departments of the SCO Member States, the rules of

procedure of the Presidents of the Supreme Courts of the SCO Member States, and the SCO Rules of procedure regulate the activities of the Meeting of the Presidents of the Supreme Courts (MPSC).

Meeting of the Presidents of the Supreme Courts allows for a constant dialogue on a wide range of issues, giving a new impetus to the development of relations and allowing the development of mechanisms for further improving the work of the judiciary.

The first Meeting was held on September 22, 2006 in Shanghai, China. Since then, the Institute of interaction between the Chief Justices of the Supreme Court has occupied a special place in the Organization, significantly complementing an established the unique practice of cooperation, the release said.

The seventeenth meeting of the Presidents of the Supreme Courts of the Member states of the SCO was held in Dushanbe.

India assumed the rotational presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization for a year in September 2022 through the Samarkand declaration last year.