SCO Chief Justices’ Meet

What’s in today’s article?

• Why in news?
• Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)
• What is SCO?
• Who are the Observers of SCO?
• What is the significance of SCO for India?
• News Summary: SCO Chief Justices’ Meet
• Key highlights of the speech delivered by CJI at the SCO Chief Justices’ Meet

Why in News?

• The eighteenth meeting of the Chief Justices of the Supreme Courts of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Member States was hosted in New Delhi by the Supreme Court of India.
  • India assumed rotational presidency of the SCO for a year in September 2022 through the Samarkand declaration last year.
• Pakistan was the only country which skipped the three-day conference hosted by India.

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)

What is SCO?

Image caption: SCO

‹ ›

• SCO is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation, created in June 2001 in Shanghai (China).
• Founding members included Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. 
• SCO comprised eight member states, namely India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
  • In 2021 summit held in Dushanbe, members decided to include Iran as a full member.

Who are the Observers of SCO?

• Before 2021, SCO had four observer states. This included – Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia.
• In 2021, Iran became a full member and Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar were added as new observer states. Hence, currently, SCO has 6 observer states namely:
  • Afghanistan, Belarus, Mongolia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar.

What is the significance of SCO for India?

• This organization represents approximately 42% of the world’s population, 22% of its land area and 20% of its GDP.
• India’s security, geopolitical, strategic and economic interests are closely intertwined with developments in the region
• The Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) of SCO specifically deals with issues relating to security and defence.
• The Central Asian region is richly endowed with natural resources and vital minerals. SCO provides a platform for India’s efforts to connect with Central Asia.
• Stable Afghanistan is in India’s interest. SCO is a platform which can play an important role in Afghanistan.

News Summary: SCO Chief Justices’ Meet

• The meeting of Chief Justices of the Supreme Courts of SCO member states was hosted by India from March 10 to 12 in New Delhi.
  • It was presided by the Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud.
• The member states, after the meeting, collectively entrusted the presidency for the next meeting of Chief Justices/Chairmans to Uzbekistan on rotation for the year 2024.

Key highlights of the speech delivered by CJI at the SCO Chief Justices’ Meet

• Urged to strive for judicial cooperation
  • CJI called on the SCO member states to strive for judicial cooperation in order to make the judicial system more approachable for the common people.
  • He stressed the need to collectively adopt new mechanisms to make court processes simpler and accessible.
• Technology must be used to bridge the gap
  • CJI Chandrachud said technology must be used to bridge the gap between citizens and the justice system.
  • In this context, he shared the recent initiatives taken by the Supreme Court of India. These include:
    • The launching e-version of Supreme Court reports, 
    • Artificial intelligence-based live transcription of court proceedings and 
    • Translation of judgments in multiple regional languages.
• The approach taken by SC of India to overcome challenges posed by COVID-19
  • CJI Chandrachud shared the challenges faced by the judicial institution during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • He highlighted the measures taken by their judiciaries to minimize the impact of COVID-19 pandemic.
  • These measures included: 
    • the adoption of technology for virtual hearings, 
    • live-streaming of court proceedings, and 
    • e-filing undertaken by the Indian judiciary.

Q1) What is the Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) of SCO?

Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) is a counter-terrorism body established by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in 2001. The RATS is based in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and its main objective is to coordinate and strengthen the efforts of the SCO member states to combat terrorism, separatism, and extremism in the region. 

Q2) What is the Central Asian region?

The Central Asian region is a geographic and cultural region located in the heart of the Asian continent. It includes the five former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The region is bordered by Russia to the north, China to the east, Afghanistan and Iran to the south, and the Caspian Sea to the west.

Source: SCO countries should collectively strive to make judiciary more accessible, says CJI Chandrachud | ThePrint | Hindustan Times | India Today