Thimphu [Bhutan], October 25 (ANI): Chief Justice of India BR Gavai held a meeting with the King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck during his official visit to Bhutan on Saturday.

CJI Gavai also held a meeting with Bhutan's Prime Minister Dasho Tshering Tobgay on Friday.

During these meetings, the CJI discussed avenues for enhancing cooperation between the two countries' judiciaries and reaffirmed the commitment to strengthening India-Bhutan relations.

He further expressed the Indian judiciary's readiness to support the Bhutanese judiciary in areas such as technology integration, capacity building, and knowledge exchange.

CJI Gavai also had an extensive interaction with the students and faculty of the JSW School of Law on Saturday. The event was graced by Princess Sonam Dechen Wangchuck and Chief Justice of Bhutan, Justice Norbu Tshering.

Addressing the students, Chief Justice Gavai emphasised the values of compassion, wisdom, and ethical responsibility within legal education.

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

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, India and Bhutan share unique and exemplary bilateral relations, which are based on mutual trust, goodwill and understanding. Formal diplomatic relations between India and Bhutan were established in 1968. The basic framework of India-Bhutan relations is the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation signed in 1949 between the two countries, which was renewed in February 2007.

Earlier in June, India and Bhutan held the Development Cooperation Talks with Secretary (West) in the MEA, Tanmaya Lal, leading the Indian delegation, and Foreign Secretary Aum Pema Choden led the Bhutanese delegation.

'India and Bhutan share an exemplary partnership characterised by trust, goodwill, mutual understanding at all levels, and strong bonds of friendship and close people-to-people ties,' the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

The Development Cooperation Talks are an important bilateral mechanism for reviewing the full spectrum of India-Bhutan's development partnership.

According to MEA, the Government of India (GoI) has committed support of INR/Nu. 10,000 Crore (100 billion) for Bhutan's 13th Five-Year Plan period (2024-2029), which would cover Project Tied Assistance (PTA) projects, High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDP), support for the Economic Stimulus Programme (ESP) and budgetary support in the form of a Programme Grant.

During the Talks, the two sides discussed various components of the support and reviewed the progress in the implementation of the projects approved in previous rounds. (ANI)