Addressing the closing session of the 22nd annual judicial conference yesterday, Her Royal Highness Princess Sonam Dechan Wangchuck emphasised the need for the judiciary to work collaboratively with other institutions.

“To fulfill the objectives of justice, the judiciary must work in coherence with other institutions such as Office of the Attorney General, National Assembly, National Council, Jigme Singye Wangchuck Law School, and the Jabmi Tshogde,” Her Royal Highness The Princess said.

“Despite being confronted with challenges, working with these institutions professionally will naturally build people’s trust in judiciary as an institution.”

Her Royal Highness The Princess is the President of the Bhutan National Legal Institute and Jigme Singye Wangchuck School Of Law.

The judiciary should make concerted efforts to maintain the trust and confidence of the people and be able to change their perceptions, Her Royal Highness The Princess pointed out, adding that building on human resource capacity is imperative in delivering on the judiciary’s goals.

“I have always said that to make a difference in the judiciary, strengthening its human resource is critical,” Her Royal Highness The Princess said.

Building the capacity of the judiciary personnel is one of the main mandates of the Bhutan National Legal Institute. The judiciary has so far supported the continuing education programmes of the institute.

The institute is also planning to cater specialised training programmes besides supporting programmes for Nangkha Nangdrig (traditional mutual case resolution) and legal research.

The conference is the right opportunity to reflect on how to strengthen judicial processes and the judiciary, Her Royal Highness The Princess said.

Her Royal Highness The Princess commended the establishment of the special benches at the Thimphu dzongkhag court. Her Royal Highness The Princess said that such timely institutional reforms are necessary to meet the demands of the country’s development and the expectations of the people.

The three-day judicial conference attended by all the drangpons resolved numerous issues including stricter terms in issuing marriage certificate, following judicial precedence, and summoning orders and arrest warrants, among others.

Tshering Palden

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