Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Kenya, Lady Justice Martha K. Koome, EGH, on Tuesday attended the proceedings of the Supreme Court of India, as part of the Constitution Bench.
The first woman Chief Justice of Kenya witnessed the Constitution Bench hearing in the Shiv Sena Case.
Welcoming the delegation from the Kenyan Supreme Court, Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud said the Supreme Court of India was ‘honoured’ to have Chief Justice of Kenya, Justice Martha Koome, in their midst.
He said Chief Justice Koome was a judge of high erudition, who had written extensively on issues pertaining to the Constitutional Law in India. She recently wrote a verdict on the extent to which the basic structure doctrine would apply in Kenya.
He further said that Chief Justice Koome was also a part of the Bench, which decided on recognition of LGBTQ rights in Kenya. The judges present in Courtroom 1 briefed the Kenyan Chief Justice about the ongoing Shiv Sena case before the hearing, revealed the CJI.
Justice Chandrachud said the Constitution Bench judges gave her a brief wrap up about the matter and arguments, adding that the Apex Court has tried to be as objective as possible in giving her details about the case.
Senior Advocates Kapil Sibal and Mahesh Jethmalani also extended welcome to the Kenyan Chief Justice on behalf of the bar.
Earlier on March 10, a delegation of the Supreme Court of Kenya, led by first woman Chief Justice of the country, Lady Justice Martha Koome, had called on President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The President welcomed the delegation to the Rashtrapati Bhavan, saying that Kenya was a country with which India had centuries-old friendly relations. India was proud to be a development partner of Kenya.
India was eager to maintain the tradition of high-level political engagement with the new Government of Kenya. Both countries should also work together to further strengthen bilateral trade ties, she added.
President Murmu commended the efforts of the first woman Chief Justice of Kenya for making justice accessible to all and towards the empowerment of women in Kenya.
Justice Koome was born on June 3, 1960 in village Kithiu of Meru district. She completed her LL.B. from the University of Nairobi in 1986 and Master’s degree (LL.M) in Public International Law from the University of London in 2010.
She was appointed Judge of the Court of Appeal in January 2012. She was also elected as the Chairperson of the Kenya Magistrates and Judges Association in 2012.
Prior to her appointment to the Court of Appeal, she served as a Judge of the High Court of Kenya for over eight years.
Justice Koome was born on June 3, 1960 in village Kithiu of Meru district. She completed her LL.B. from the University of Nairobi in 1986 and Master’s degree (LL.M) in Public International Law from the University of London in 2010.
Koome was appointed as Judge of the Court of Appeal in January 2012. She was also elected as the Chairperson of the Kenya Magistrates and Judges Association in the same year.
Before her appointment to the Court of Appeal, Justice Koome served as a Judge of the High Court of Kenya for over eight years.
Last month, Chief Justice of Singapore, Justice Sundaresh Menon, had attended the proceedings going on in Court number 1 of the Supreme Court, led by his Indian counterpart, CJI Chandrachud.
While commencing the court proceedings on February 3, Justice Chandrachud had accorded a warm welcome to CJ Menon and said that the Judiciary could not have had a more distinguished scholar and jurist delivering the first annual lecture for the Foundation day of the Indian Supreme Court.
Senior Advocate and President of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Vikas Singh, who was present on the occasion, said that it was his great pleasure to welcome the Chief Justice of a foreign country, who had his roots in India.
The Supreme Court celebrated its Foundation Day for the first time on February 4. The Chief Justice of Singapore was invited as Chief Guest for the event, who delivered the lecture on ‘Role of judiciary in a changing world’. The first-ever event had commemorated the 73rd anniversary of the Apex Court’s establishment in the country.
During his visit to India, the Chief Justice of Singapore held discussions with his Indian counterpart, along with senior Judges of the Indian Supreme Court, regarding scope for further cooperation between the two judiciaries, legal and judicial education, besides knowledge sharing in these areas.
The use of technology in administration of Justice, in particular to enhance the access to justice, was also discussed during the visit of Justice Menon.
Justice Sundaresh Menon has been serving as the fourth Chief Justice of Singapore since 2012. He is the first Singapore-born Chief Justice of that country. Just like CJI Chandrachud, Justice Menon did his Master of Laws from Harvard Law School.