BRICS Chief Justices Meet in Delhi, CJI Surya Kant Proposes Common Mediation Platform
The BRICS Chief Justices’ Forum commenced in New Delhi on Friday, bringing together chief justices, presidents of supreme courts and senior judicial leaders from BRICS member states and partner countries for discussions on strengthening judicial cooperation amid growing cross-border economic, technological and legal challenges. Hosted by the Supreme Court of India from September 4 to 6, the three-day forum is providing a platform for participating judiciaries to exchange views on justice delivery, international dispute resolution, technology and sustainable development.
On the opening day, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant held bilateral meetings with judicial leaders from Russia, China, Egypt, Indonesia, the UAE, Belarus, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Iran and Uzbekistan. Discussions covered possible memoranda of understanding on judicial cooperation, commercial courts, mutual recognition of judicial awards and decrees, judicial training, legal best-practice exchanges and technology. Surya Kant also proposed a common platform for arbitration and mediation to address commercial disputes involving participating countries.
Among those scheduled to meet the CJI were Igor Krasnov, Chief Justice of Russia’s Supreme Court; Zhang Jun, Chief Justice of China and President of its Supreme People’s Court; Boulos Gahmy Iskander Boulos, Chief Justice of Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court; and Sunarto, Chief Justice of Indonesia’s Supreme Court. Others included Mohammed Hamad Al Badi Al Dhaheri of the UAE Federal Supreme Court, Andrei Shved of Belarus, Aslambek Mergaliyev of Kazakhstan, Mahube Betty Molemela of South Africa, Ayatollah Gholam Hossein Mohseni-Eje’I of Iran and Malikakhon Kalandarova of Uzbekistan.
The forum’s substantive sessions focus on four areas: mediation and international commercial disputes, cross-border enforcement of arbitral awards, AI and the judiciary, and judicial leadership and sustainable development. Delegates will examine mediation in global commerce, challenges in enforcing arbitral awards across jurisdictions and prospects for greater procedural harmonisation. The AI session will explore technology’s role in improving judicial efficiency, while the sustainability discussions will consider judicial leadership, ecological governance and sustainable energy systems.
The bilateral engagements also discussed professional exchanges through the National Judicial Academy in Bhopal, along with bilateral conferences on contemporary legal issues. The second day will see judicial heads share perspectives on issues concerning courts and common judicial challenges.
Judicial representatives from Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, South Africa and the UAE are expected, alongside partner countries Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda and Uzbekistan.
The forum comes as BRICS has expanded beyond its original five members, adding countries including Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Indonesia and the UAE, while developing a wider partner-country framework. With international commerce, AI, arbitration and environmental issues increasingly crossing borders, the New Delhi gathering seeks to turn judicial dialogue into practical cooperation and stronger cross-border justice mechanisms.