Supreme Court of India Signs MoU with Supreme Court of Bhutan

The Chief Justice of India (CJI) Suryakant has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Supreme Court of Bhutan (SCB). Its objective is to facilitate the exchange of young legal professionals in New Delhi (Delhi) and to strengthen judicial cooperation between the two countries.

• The Chief Justice of India (CJI) Suryakant announced that the Supreme Court of India (SCI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Supreme Court of Bhutan (SCB) to facilitate the exchange of young legal professionals in New Delhi (Delhi) and to strengthen judicial cooperation between the two countries.
• The objective of this initiative is to provide practical experience and promote knowledge sharing between the judiciaries.
• Two law clerks of Bhutan will be appointed by the SCI in New Delhi for a three-month tenure, during which they will work in various courts to gain experience of judicial functioning.
• Bhutanese clerks will get the same honorarium as Indian law clerks. This exchange helps in building long-term professional and institutional relations between the two countries.

Agreement with other countries

• The Supreme Court of India has signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with several countries including Nepal, Bhutan, Singapore, Israel, Bangladesh, Tunisia, Zambia, Morocco and Maldives for judicial cooperation and exchange of legal professionals.
• This will facilitate exchanges like law clerks and strengthen institutional relations. The recent joining of Bhutan (January, 2026) and Nepal (April, 2025) has emphasized the ongoing efforts to build global judicial bridges.

Supreme Court of India

• The Supreme Court of India was established on 26 January, 1950 with the adoption of the Constitution, which replaced the Federal Court of India and the Privy Council and became the highest court.
• Its official inauguration took place on 28 January, 1950 in the Parliament House, after which it moved to its present building, which was presided over by Chief Justice H.J. Kania.
• Early courts (1773): The first Supreme Court in India was established in Calcutta in 1773 under the Regulating Act, after which similar courts were established in Bombay and Madras.
• Judicial Committee of the Privy Council: Under British rule, the Privy Council acted as the final appellate court for India.
• Federal Court of India (1937): Established by the Government of India Act 1935, it handled disputes between provinces and princely states and heard appeals from the High Courts.

First Chief Justice

• India’s first Chief Justice was Harilal Jekishandas Kania, who was born in 1890 in a middle-class family in Surat, Gujarat.
• He served as the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India from 26 January, 1950, the day the Constitution was adopted and the Supreme Court was established, until his death while in office on 6 November, 1951.
• He was awarded a knighthood by the British Crown in 1943 in the King’s Birthday Honours for his judicial service. He administered the oath of office to India’s first President, Dr. Rajendra Prasad.

Powers

• It became the highest court, whose decisions were binding on all other courts of India (Article 141) and it had the powers of judicial review. The presently sanctioned strength is 34 judges (including the Chief Justice).
• Constitutional powers: Articles 124-147 of the Constitution define its composition, independence and powers.
• Contempt powers: The power to punish for contempt of court (Articles 129, 142).