Nepal's chief justice visits India
Kathmandu, July 23
Nepal's Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Sharma left for New Delhi on Thursday on a five-day official visit to India at the invitation of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, the Supreme Court of Nepal said.
According to a Supreme Court press release, Sharma departed aboard an Air India flight and is scheduled to visit the Supreme Court of India during his stay. The visit aims to strengthen judicial ties between the two neighbouring countries. The Chief Justice is scheduled to return to Nepal on July 27.
The visiting delegation includes the Chief Justice's spouse, Uma Sharma, and Joint Registrar Amit Upreti.
The Supreme Court did not disclose further details about the visit or any bilateral meetings planned during the trip.
Bilateral exchanges between the chief justices and the judiciaries of Nepal and India have become a regular feature in recent years.
In November last year, Nepal's then Chief Justice Prakash Man Singh Raut travelled to New Delhi to attend the swearing-in ceremony of India's current Chief Justice, Surya Kant.
Earlier, in September 2025, then Chief Justice of India Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai visited Kathmandu at the invitation of Nepal's Supreme Court to participate in the Nepal-India Judicial Dialogue.
He delivered the keynote address at the Nepal-India Dialogue on recent jurisprudence and justice sector reform in Kathmandu.
The dialogue brought together members of the Indian delegation, sitting judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts, former chief justices of Nepal, human rights and climate change advocates, and other stakeholders.
In April 2025, Nepal's then Chief Justice Prakash Man Singh Raut completed a five-day official visit to India.
During the visit, the Supreme Courts of Nepal and India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop, promote, and strengthen judicial cooperation between the two countries.
The MoU was signed in the presence of then Nepali Chief Justice Raut and then Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna.
"Inspired by the cordial and friendly relations existing between the two countries and their people, the MoU aims at developing, promoting, and strengthening cooperation between the judiciaries of the two countries," the Supreme Court of India said in a statement issued after the signing ceremony.
In May 2024, India's then Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud paid a historic three-day official visit to Nepal at the invitation of Nepal's then Chief Justice Bishwambhar Prasad Shrestha.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Interesting that Nepal's judiciary is so proactive in building ties. Considering our shared history and the 1950 Treaty, judicial cooperation makes perfect sense. The MoU signed earlier this year should help in streamlining extradition and mutual legal assistance.
While this is a positive step, I hope we're not just having photo-ops and signing MoUs without concrete outcomes. Would like to see actual collaboration on case backlogs and judicial efficiency. Nepal's courts face similar challenges to ours.
🇮🇳🤝🇳🇵 Another example of India's soft power in South Asia. We should be investing more in these judicial exchanges - they build long-term trust and institutional links that go beyond politics.
Nice to see our judiciary engaging with neighbours. But I wonder if these visits address real issues like cross-border human trafficking, drug smuggling, and environment protection. The courts in both countries should prioritise practical outcomes over ceremonial visits.
These exchanges are good but India should be careful not to be seen as interfering in Nepal's judicial independence. Let the cooperation be truly mutual. Still, it's better than the cold relations we had a few years back on the border issue. 👍
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