India and the UK had signed a pact in 2018 to collaborate in the fields of law & justice

A comprehensive agreement was reached during the recent meeting of the India-UK Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) to facilitate the exchange of experiences and best practises in the areas of the functioning of commercial courts and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms like arbitration and mediation.

The agreement also covers use of technology in case management, justice dispensation and enforcement of contracts and in the area of simple legislative drafting, the Union Ministry of Law and Justice said on Tuesday.

It was further agreed that training and capacity enhancement programmes would be conducted in reputed Institutes for legal advisers, draftsman, judicial officers, prosecutors and legal professionals and in time bound manner.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the promotion of collaboration between the governments of India and the UK in the fields of law and justice was signed on July 10, 2018. In accordance with the MoU, a Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) has been established to carry out its goals by defining the course of action in areas of collaboration. The JCC's third in-person meeting took place on August 18, in New Delhi.

In the Legal Services Committee (LSC) meeting that was also conducted on August 18, the topic of framing refulations for the admission of UK law firms and lawyers under the MoU was considered separately, the Ministry of Law and Justice said.

The LSC in its meeting recounted the result of the India-UK virtual summit held on May 4, 2021, between the Prime Ministers of India and the UK, and the introduction of the "Enhanced Trade Partnership" (ETP) to unleash the trade potential between the two countries.

The two countries had also agreed to facilitate each other's concerns about market access, including the opening of the legal services sector in India, on a reciprocal basis.

Both meetings were co-chaired by Dr. Niten Chandra, Law Secretary, and Dr. Jo Farrar, Second Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Government of the UK. Both the leaders were accompanied by delegations consisting of senior officials.