Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Friday described the Indo-French partnership as a vital force in a world fraught with instability, asserting that the bilateral relationship goes beyond diplomacy and stands as a “lifeline” amidst growing geopolitical tensions and disruptions.
Delivering the keynote address at the Indo-French Legal and Business Conference, the CJI emphasised the multi-faceted nature of the partnership, which spans defence, security, sustainability, technology, and dispute resolution.
“In such a world, the France-India partnership is not a luxury; it is a lifeline,” said Justice Kant, addressing the theme “Cross-Border Dispute Resolution: Courts, Arbitration and India-France Year of Innovation 2026.”
Citing a significant leap in bilateral trade, the CJI noted that commerce between India and France has more than doubled in the past decade — from USD 6.4 billion in 2009–10 to over USD 15.11 billion in the last fiscal year.
He said the partnership is “united by the shared belief in democracy, the rule of law and the pursuit of a peaceful and just global order,” and that the two countries possess “complementary strengths” that serve as the foundation for future innovation.
Justice Kant proposed that the evolving Indo-French partnership must be supported by a forward-thinking legal architecture for cross-border dispute resolution.
He called for the creation of joint arbitration and mediation panels comprising professionals trained in both civil and common law traditions, saying such bodies would be equipped with the cultural and legal fluency to handle complex disputes.
“These panels would bring not only technical excellence but also the cultural and jurisprudential fluency necessary for resolving disputes that traverse legal systems as seamlessly as they traverse markets,” he said.
Further, the CJI stressed the importance of strengthening institutional partnerships between Indian arbitral centres and Paris-based institutions, advocating for shared procedural standards, joint training initiatives, and co-administered proceedings to ensure credibility and contextual relevance in dispute resolution.
Turning to the Indian framework, Justice Kant highlighted the coherence of the Arbitration Act, the Mediation Act, and the Commercial Courts Act, noting that they form an integrated dispute resolution ecosystem: binding resolution through arbitration, consensual settlement through mediation, and judicial oversight via specialised courts.
He reaffirmed the Supreme Court’s consistent pro-arbitration approach:
“Indian courts have played an important role in strengthening the foundational features of arbitration, most notably the principle of party autonomy,” he said, adding that courts have ensured arbitration clauses are interpreted liberally and are not defeated by technical objections.
In a poetic close, the CJI drew a symbolic comparison between the Ganges and the Seine — the iconic rivers of India and France — to underscore the cultural and civilisational resonance shared by the two nations.
“One may appear as a spiritual pilgrimage in motion, the other as a poetic lifeline of art and romance. Yet, beneath these apparent differences lies a harmony of purpose. Both rivers are storytellers,” he said.
He noted that both India and France are heirs to civilisations that have “contributed immeasurably to art, philosophy and the human spirit.”
With 2026 being celebrated as the Year of Innovation between India and France, the Chief Justice expressed confidence that the legal and institutional frameworks of both countries are equipped to meet the demands of an increasingly interconnected and legally complex world.
“As we stand at the precipice of the Year of Innovation 2026, we are no longer just building the nest, we are mapping the sky in which we fly,” he said.
