THIMPHU/NEW DELHI: (Oct 25) In a major step towards deepening judicial cooperation between India and Bhutan, Chief Justice of India BR Gavai announced that two Law Clerk positions at the Supreme Court of India will be reserved annually for law graduates from Bhutan.
The announcement came during CJI Gavai’s official visit to Bhutan, where he met His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck on Friday and Prime Minister Dasho Tshering Tobgay on Thursday.
During his meetings, the Chief Justice discussed strengthening institutional collaboration between the judiciaries of both countries and reaffirmed India’s commitment to supporting Bhutan’s judicial capacity-building efforts.
CJI Gavai also assured India’s continued assistance in judicial technology integration, knowledge exchange, and training programmes for Bhutanese legal professionals. The new initiative, offering clerkship opportunities at India’s apex court, aims to enhance academic engagement and professional exposure for Bhutan’s young legal talent.
During his visit, Justice Gavai also addressed students and faculty at the Jigme Singye Wangchuck School of Law in Thimphu. The event, attended by Her Royal Highness Princess Sonam Dechen Wangchuck and Chief Justice of Bhutan Lyonpo Norbu Tshering, featured Gavai’s reflections on “Courts and Constitutional Governance” as part of the school’s fifth Wisdom for Future talk series.
Calling education “the bridge between tradition and modernity,” the Chief Justice urged law students to view the legal profession as a vocation of fairness, compassion, and human dignity, not just a career.
He also visited the Supreme Court of Bhutan, where both sides explored avenues to expand judicial exchanges under the existing framework of Indo-Bhutan cooperation.