The Supreme Court of India is hosting the BRICS Chief Justices’ Forum in New Delhi from September 4 to 6, 2026. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant opened the three-day summit on Friday, September 4, 2026, by proposing a common arbitration platform for commercial disputes and holding bilateral meetings with judicial leaders from member and partner nations.
Judicial leaders, supreme court presidents, and senior judicial representatives from across member states and partner countries converged in New Delhi for the three-day meeting focused on strengthening judicial cooperation and discussing emerging challenges facing justice systems. The Supreme Court of India organized the gathering to foster direct dialogue on institutional challenges, facilitate the exchange of experiences and deepen cooperation among BRICS member states and partner countries on emerging legal and institutional challenges.
Bilateral Meetings Hosted By Chief Justice Surya Kant
As part of the Forum, CJI Kant held a series of bilateral meetings with heads of judicial delegations on the opening day. According to the Supreme Court’s official statement, the initial round of talks brought together judicial leaders from Russia, China, Egypt, Indonesia, the UAE, Belarus, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Iran, and Uzbekistan.
The Supreme Court of India is hosting the forum from September 4 to 6, with judicial delegations from BRICS member states including Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, South Africa, and the UAE, besides partner countries including Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan.
Delegations Attending The Summit In New Delhi
Among the prominent judicial figures attending the summit and meeting with the CJI on Friday are Igor Krasnov, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation; Zhang Jun, Chief Justice of China and President of the Supreme People’s Court; Boulos Gahmy Iskander Boulos, Chief Justice of Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court; and Prof. Dr. Sunarto, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Indonesia.
Other judicial leaders scheduled to meet or who met the CJI include Mohammed Hamad Al Badi Al Dhaheri, President of the UAE Federal Supreme Court; Andrei Shved, Chairman of the Supreme Court of Belarus; Aslambek Mergaliyev, Chairman of the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan; Mahube Betty Molemela, President of the Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa; Ayatollah Gholam Hossein Mohseni-Eje’I, Chief Justice of Iran; and Malikakhon Kalandarova, Deputy Chairperson of the Supreme Court of Uzbekistan.
Proposals For Arbitration Platforms And Mediation
Addressing the summit on Friday (September 4, 2026), Chief Justice Surya Kant highlighted the importance of the role of the judiciary in constructing coordinated bilateral cooperation and enhancing bilateral ties during the BRICS Chief Justices’ Forum. He also proposed the building of a common platform for arbitration and mediation to tackle commercial disputes.
The bilateral discussions took place around the issues of MoUs for judicial cooperation to strengthen relations between countries, the importance of mediation and arbitration in resolving business and corporate disputes, and creating a healthy environment for commercial activities between nations. The forum will focus on four major themes: mediation and international commercial disputes; cross-border enforcement of arbitral awards; artificial intelligence and the judiciary; and judicial leadership and sustainable development.
Discussions on mediation examined its role in resolving commercial disputes in a globalised economy, while the arbitration session addressed challenges in enforcing arbitral awards and the scope for greater procedural harmonisation. The sessions also covered the requirement of efficient commercial courts to enhance trust of foreign investors, possibilities of mutual recognition of judicial awards and decrees to facilitate more effective enforcement of judicial decisions across jurisdictions, and the use of state institutions like the National Judicial Academy, Bhopal, for professional exchange programmes.
CJI Kant held discussions with the judicial delegations on the exchange of best legal practices from different countries, the need for bilateral conferences on laws on contemporary issues, technology advancement integration for increasing the efficiency of the judiciary, especially through AI integration, and enhancing people-to-people ties through expeditious judicial processes. The session on artificial intelligence focused on digital innovation and the use of AI in the administration of justice, while judicial leaders also discussed the judiciary’s role in ecological governance and promoting sustainable energy systems.
The bilateral meetings were an opportunity for direct interaction and exchange of views on matters of mutual judicial interest and will further strengthen engagement among the participating judiciaries, a statement issued by the Supreme Court said.
По теме
