CJI Gavai meets King of Bhutan; announces two Law Clerk positions at SC for Bhutanese law graduates

The Chief Justice of India BR Gavai today held a meeting with the King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck during his official visit to Bhutan. CJI Gavai also met with the Prime Minister of Bhutan yesterday.

As a part of his meetings, CJI discussed avenues for enhancing cooperation between the two countries' judiciaries and reaffirmed the commitment to strengthening India-Bhutan relations.

In furtherance of the ties between India and Bhutan, the CJI has announced that two positions of Law Clerks at the Supreme Court of India shall be offered annually to law graduates from Bhutan. This is part of an ongoing initiative to strengthen academic engagement and professional collaboration between the judiciaries.

During his visit, the CJI also spoke at the Fifth Wisdom for Future Talk Series (hosted by the JSW School of Law) at Royal Institute of Management (RIM) on the topic “Courts and Constitutional Governance”, where he observed that courts, are not only institutions of adjudication; they are also educators of constitutional consciousness.

The CJI also discussed the judiciary’s responsibility of promoting constitutional literacy and cultivating public understanding of constitutional values. "Too often, our attention remains confined to the immediate outcome of a case or its impact on the parties involved. Yet, the true influence of judicial decisions extends much further. Each judgment becomes a point of reflection, a subject of public dialogue, and a catalyst for civic awareness. It shapes how citizens perceive their rights, their duties, and the moral foundations of their democracy", the CJI added.

CJI Gavai also referred to the acclaimed Indian film “The Lunchbox” released in 2013, in which Ila, a young homemaker in Mumbai repeatedly expresses her desire to leave behind the noise, chaos, and monotony of city life and move to Bhutan, a land she imagines as peaceful, serene, and truly happy.

"Watching this film prompted me to reflect on what makes Bhutan so unique why its people, and indeed those who dream of it, associate it with contentment, balance, and a deep sense of well-being. This sense of harmony, between the material and the moral, between the individual and the collective, lies at the heart of the shared philosophical inheritance that binds India and Bhutan", CJI added.

Speaking on the relationship share between India and Bhutan, Justice Gavai said it is a relationship beyond borders and centuries, nurtured by a common civilizational spirit, one that finds its most eloquent expression in the teachings of the Lord Buddha. "The light of Lord Buddha’s wisdom continues to shine as the torchbearer of moral, spiritual, and cultural peace in both our lands often reminding us that compassion is strength, balance is wisdom, and global peace is the highest form of progress that our world can achieve. Our two nations continue to draw strength from this thoughtful spiritual foundation. The relations between India and Bhutan extend beyond geographical and spiritual domain. They are founded on mutual trust, goodwill, and a shared vision of progress", he added.

The event was also attended by Her Royal Highness, Princess Sonam Dechan Wangchuck, who serves as Hon’ble President, JSW School of Law, His Excellency Norbu Tshering, the Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Bhutan. Mr. Sangay Dorjee, the Founding Dean of the JSW School of Law, and Judges of the Supreme Court and the High Court of Bhutan were also in attendance.