The Twelfth Session of Justice Ministers Meeting (JMM) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Member States was represented by Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law & Justice, on 29^th October 2025, through Video Conferencing Mode. 

Earlier, three Expert Working Group meetings were held on 04.09.2025, 30.09.2025 and 14.10.2025, comprising of other senior officers of the Department of Legal Affairs, Department of Justice, Legislative Department and Ministry of Home Affairs. These meetings, hosted by the Member State Russia, deliberated and finalised the Joint Statement to be signed during the JMM meeting scheduled on 29^th October, 2025. The meetings were conducted through Video Conferencing mode.

The meeting was attended by: Minister of Justice of the Republic of Belarus, E.I. Kovalenko, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law and Justice of the Republic of India, Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of Justice of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Amin Hossein Rahimi, Minister of Justice of the Republic of Kazakhstan, E. Zh. Sarsembayev, Minister of Justice of the People’s Republic of China, He Zhong, Deputy Minister of Justice of the Kyrgyz Republic, S.T. Yzakova, Minister of Law and Justice of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Azam Nazir Tarar, Minister of Justice of the Republic of Tajikistan, M.K. Ashuryon, and Minister of Justice of the Republic of Uzbekistan, A. D. Tashkulov. The Deputy Secretary General of the SCO, Khan Soheil, also participated in the meeting.

Addressing the eminent gathering of Ministers of Justice from SCO Member States, Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law & Justice, underlined the initiatives taken by the Government of India under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, for providing affordable and easy access to justice for all. Over the past decades, under the able leadership of the Prime Minister and with the goal of Viksit Bharat@2047, Shri Meghwal emphasized that India has embarked upon a comprehensive transformation of its justice system and pursued a vision of accessible, inclusive, and technology-driven justice.

He highlighted India’s efforts in providing free legal aid to marginalized sections of the society. In this regard, he also informed launching of E-Lok Adalat, an effective tool to settle disputes, combining technology and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms which offer a faster, transparent and accessible option to the citizens of the country. He also apprised the gathering of the high priority accorded by the Government to resolving disputes through ADR, framing business-facilitating laws and rules, including the Commercial Courts Act and Arbitration & Conciliation Laws, with a view to make India a preferred destination for investment and businesses.

As part of the activities of the Justice Ministers’ Forum, the Union Minister urged SCO Member States to promote exchange of ideas, best practices and experiences in identified areas through this prestigious podium. He also stressed the importance of widening the horizon of activities being undertaken within the SCO Forum. 

The Twelfth Session of the Ministers of Justice of the SCO Member States deliberated on areas of cooperation; emphasized the high relevance of mutual exchange of legal information, and acknowledged the need for cooperation in ADR mechanisms, among others. In addition, the discussion addressed the issue of digitisation of the activities of the Ministries of Justice of SCO Member States. The participants unanimously recognized the particular importance of this topic and stressed the need to further improve digital tools in the legal sphere.

The Ministers of (Law and) Justice of the SCO Member States, emphasizing the mutual understanding achieved on issues related to the development of legal systems, and taking into account the agreements and tasks set out in the “SCO Development Strategy until 2035”, declared the following:-

1. To continue cooperation between the Ministries (of Law and) Justice of the SCO Member States in accordance with the goals and principles of the SCO Charter, the Treaty on Long-Term Good Neighbourliness, Friendship and Cooperation among SCO Member States, and the SCO Development Strategy until 2035.
2. To strengthen cooperation between the Ministries (of Law and) Justice of the SCO Member States in the legal sphere.
3. To organise conferences, forums, seminars on legal cooperation, as well as other relevant events for the exchange of experience.

The participants of the meeting noted the importance of long-term partnership in the field of law and justice, which has become one of the key areas of work of the SCO, and confirmed its strategic value for the further development of the Organisation.

A Joint Statement following the results of the Twelfth Session of the Ministers of Justice of the SCO Member States was also adopted.

The Indian delegation comprised of Union Minister Shri Meghwal, Law Secretary, Dr. Anju Rathi Rana, Additional Secretary (SCO) of Ministry of External Affairs, Mr. Alok A. Dimri, Joint Secretary & Legal Adviser, Shri Japan Babu, Director-cum-Chief Forensic Scientist, Directorate of Forensic Science Services, Dr. S.K. Jain, Joint Secretary & Legislative Counsel, Ms. Renu Sinha, Director, Department of Justice, Ms. Monika Rani, and Consultant at the Ministry of External Affairs, Shri Amit Jakhmola.

The next Session of the Justice Ministers’ Meeting (JMM) of the SCO Member States shall be hosted by the Republic of Tajikistan in 2026.

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Samrat/Allen