President of the AACC Tengku Maimun Binti Tuan Mat welcoming Sharad Arvind Bobde from the Supreme Court of India and Azmirlda Zahir from the Supreme Court of the Maldives as new AACC members on Sunday (3/11/2019) in Nusa Dua, Bali. Photo by Humas MK/Gani.

BALI, Public Relations of the Constitutional Court—In the series of "Board of Members Meeting" of the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions (AACC), the Supreme Court of India and the Supreme Court of the Maldives officially became the latest AACC members. The inauguration was conducted on Sunday (3/11/2019) in Nusa Dua, Bali.

In his remarks, Sharad Arvind Bobde, who represented the Supreme Court of India, thanked the AACC members who had accepted India as a member of the association. He hoped that through the AACC, the Supreme Court of India can contribute to protecting human rights in Asia and exchange experiences with the members. He delivered an overview of the Indian Constitution. According to him, human rights, social politics, and the distribution of powers are the foundation of the Indian Constitution. Equality is also an important value ​​in the Indian Constitution. "Our constitution safeguards the fundamental rights of the Indian people," he said.

Sharad said that the judiciary in India is only the Indian Supreme Court. The Supreme Court of India is an appellate court as well as a constitutional court. "The Supreme Court of India is a judicial institution that has a greater authority compared to other supreme courts in the world because it also has the authority of a Supreme Court as well as that of a Constitutional Court," he explained.

Chief Justice of the Maldives Azmirlda Zahir, representing the Supreme Court of the Maldives, also expressed her appreciation for the court’s inauguration into the AACC. She explained that the Supreme Court of the Maldives was formed because of changes to the constitution in 2008. In addition to forming the judiciary, the new constitution also separated powers for the first time. This drastic change shows the development of institutions in upholding justice and eradicating corruption. "The Supreme Court of the Maldives ensures that this is executed," she said.

Justice Azmirlda also explained that the Maldives MA is the highest court which has a legal role and being a member of the AACC can be a good experience in guaranteeing fundamental rights and human rights. "Our membership can build cooperation with other AACC member countries by providing human resources to provide constitutional rights," he said.

With the addition of the Supreme Court of India and the Supreme Court of the Maldives, members of the AACC increased to 18 countries. The AACC member countries are Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Thailand, Philippines, Turkey, and Uzbekistan. (Lulu Anjarsari)

Translated by: Dedy/Yuniar Widiastuti