India-France partnership lifeline amid geopolitical tension: CJI Surya Kant

New Delhi: Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Friday said the forces of disruption and geopolitical tension threaten to destabilise the very framework of international cooperation and in such a world, the France-India partnership is not a luxury but a lifeline.

Speaking at the Indo-French Legal and Business Conference, the CJI said the relationship between the two countries has long transcended the purely diplomatic and is instead a multi-dimensional architecture, encompassing everything from the sanctity of the defence and security cooperation to a shared pursuit of sustainable growth and advanced technologies.

"We have witnessed a remarkable acceleration in our bilateral trade, which has more than doubled over the last decade, surging from USD 6.4 billion in 2009-10 to an impressive $15.11 billion in the last fiscal year," he said.

Speaking on the topic of "Cross-Border Dispute Resolution: Courts, Arbitration and India-France Year of Innovation 2026", Justice Kant said, "The relationship between France and India is not a creation of convenience, it is a bond forged over centuries. Today, standing on the shoulders of this history, we face a world transformed by uncertainty. The forces of disruption and geopolitical tension threaten to destabilise the very framework of international cooperation. In such a world, the France-India partnership is not a luxury, it is a lifeline." He added that united by the shared belief in democracy, the rule of law and the pursuit of a peaceful and just global order, both countries possess complementary strengths.

"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, adding that as India and France enter a new phase of innovation this year, they do so supported by a dispute-resolution architecture that is not reactive, but anticipatory, not adversarial, but principled, and not merely efficient, but enduring.

The CJI underlined that a promising avenue lies in the establishment of joint arbitration and mediation panels, comprising professionals trained across civil and common law traditions.

"Such 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.

Justice Kant added that equally vital is the deepening of institutional partnerships between Indian arbitral centres and Paris-based institutions, and through shared procedural standards, joint training initiatives and co-administered proceedings, these collaborations can create dispute-resolution forums that are at once globally credible and contextually nuanced.

In the Indian context, the CJI said together, the Arbitration Act, the Mediation Act and the Commercial Courts Act form a coherent ecosystem -- arbitration for binding resolution, mediation for consensual settlement and specialised courts for oversight and enforcement.

He added that judicially, the Supreme Court has repeatedly emphasised a pro-arbitration stance -- reaffirming that arbitration clauses should be interpreted liberally and that technical objections should not defeat the parties' clear intent to arbitrate.

"Indian courts have played an important role in strengthening the foundational features of arbitration, most notably the principle of party autonomy, which remains the backbone of the arbitral process in India, designed to give parties the widest possible freedom to shape procedures that reflect their needs and commercial realities," he said.

The CJI asked the gathering to name the commonalities that bridge the gap between the Ganges and the Seine and said the Ganges, sacred to millions, flows from the icy peaks of the Himalayas, nourishing the plains of India with life, faith and culture, while the Seine, meandering elegantly through France, cradles the heart of Paris, inspiring artists, philosophers and dreamers for centuries.

"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. Along their banks, civilisations have blossomed -- kingdoms have risen, markets have thrived and communities have found their rhythm. Each river mirrors the aspirations of its people, becoming not only a source of sustenance but also a vessel of identity. France and India are heirs to civilisations that have contributed immeasurably to art, philosophy and the human spirit," he said.