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Need an Indo-US collaborative law platform: Attorney General
Attorney general Venkataramani emphasizes the need for a bilateral Indo-US legal platform at the India-US Legal Services Summit for vibrant exchanges in law and justice.
There is a need for a bilateral platform between India and the US to vibrant exchanges in the domain of law and justice, attorney general R Venkataramani said on Monday, addressing legal luminaries at the first India-US Legal Services Summit on Indo-US Cooperation On Corporate And Legal Issues.
The summit organised by the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce was also attended by solicitor general Tushar Mehta and Manoj Kumar, additional secretary at the law ministry, as well as personalities of the legal field from the US.
“The US is a mini-India and people from virtually all parts of India can be seen in almost all parts of US. We are a good limb of GDP of US as also the GEP, that is, Gross Exchange Product, with exchanges in social, cultural, economic and political,” Venkataramani said. “Indians occupying important positions in the legal field is a great story. Alongside, we must create more enduring and vibrant exchange platforms in the domains of law and justice. An Indo-US comparative and collaborative law platform can be visualized.”
A global legal commons premised on global knowledge and resources should be the vision and goal of the platform, he added. There was also a need to move ahead in dispute resolution, he said, calling for a broader legal framework where international trade and commerce were not hindered by doctrines, principles and procedures.
Mehta urged the gathering to think about setting up a designated centre where lawyers can be permanently available for anyone who wanted to either invest from India to the US, or vice versa. “This Indo-American Chamber of Commerce started somewhere in the late 60s, essentially by industrialists who were leading the industries of the day. It appears that thereafter, the lawyers were also involved in the process, but today the role of lawyers in this chamber of commerce may not be formal, as it should have been,” he said.
“A more formal role of lawyers should be developed to ensure that there is a permanent mechanism under which legal advice can be sought by both India and United States of America in terms of business opportunities, investments, etc., from one particular centre, especially designated by the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce,” the attorney general said.
India is progressing at a fast pace to become one of the leading economies of the world and people from all over the world are looking to invest in the country, he said. When people invest in the country, they require reliable legal assistance, which a legal forum can provide, Mehta said. A formal centre to provide legal assistance would be “a great service not only to the nation but to the fastest growing economy of this world”, he added.
