On Constitution Day, foreign judges share Bench with CJI Surya Kant, witness proceedings

As India celebrated 76 Constitution Day on Wednesday, Chief Justices and judges of Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Kenya and Mauritius and one judge each of the Supreme Court of Nepal and the Supreme Court of Malaysia joined CJI Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi on the Bench and witnessed the proceedings.

Chief Justice of Bhutan Lyonpo Norbu Tshering, Chief Justice of Kenya Martha Koome, Chief Justice of Mauritius Rehana Bibi Mungly-Gulbul, Chief Justice of Sri Lanka Padman Surasena and Justice Sapna Pradhan Malla of the Nepal Supreme Court. Tan Sri Datuk Nalini Pathmanathan from the Federal Court of Malaysia and Justices Thurairaja PC and AHMD Nawaz from the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka sat in Court No. 1 with the CJI and Justice Bagchi. They had also attended Justice Kant’s swearing in as the 53rd CJI on November 24.

After watching the proceedings for around half-an-hour, they lauded the Indian judiciary, particularly, the Supreme Court. “Kenyan courts look up to the jurisdiction of India and regularly follow the Indian Supreme Court's precedents,” said the Chief Justice of Kenya. She congratulated Justice Kant on becoming the CJI and expressed hope for continued cooperation “to uphold the rule of law.”

The Chief Justice of Mauritius said Indian jurisprudence has been a guiding force for their courts and said she was “very happy to have been included in this ceremony.”

The Chief Justice of Bhutan commended India's constitutional evolution, noting that despite having undergone 106 amendments, the Constitution has retained its “basic structure”.

Tshering, who studied at the Delhi University's Campus Law Centre, said “India has very highly skilled, very intelligent and professional people".

The Chief Justice of Sri Lanka talked about the shared legal traditions. “India and Sri Lanka have the same traditions, same legal systems, and same pattern, reflecting deep historical and jurisprudential ties between the two nations,” he said.

The judges from Nepal and Malaysia also hailed the pace of judicial reforms in India. Earlier, the CJI welcomed the visiting judges and thanked them for their presence at the “historic occasion". Prior to witnessing the court proceedings, the visiting dignitaries were honoured at the Supreme Court Bar Association's Constitution Day celebrations by SCBA President Vikas Singh.