New Delhi [India], October 23 : Senior Advocate Pinky Anand, a prominent figure in India's legal fraternity, has been appointed as a judge of the Bahrain International Commercial Court (BICC), which will be formally launched on November 5, 2025.
Anand, who has an illustrious legal career spanning over four decades, previously served as Additional Solicitor General of India from 2014 to 2020.
She has represented India in several high-profile cases and has extensive experience as an arbitrator in India, as well as in Dubai, Malaysia, and Singapore. Anand has also represented India at the BRICS group of emerging economies and was a founding member of the BRICS Legal Forum.
Her appointment was confirmed through Bahrain's official gazette, along with several other international and Bahraini judges. The BICC, presided over by noted arbitration expert Jan Paulsson, now has 17 judges, including seven women and ten men, drawn from various parts of the world.
The Bahrain International Commercial Court is a product of a treaty between Bahrain and Singapore signed in March 2024, and is modelled on the Singapore International Commercial Court (SICC).
The BICC will handle complex cross-border commercial disputes in English and Arabic, offering parties a right of appeal to the SICC's international committee for English-language cases. Alternatively, appeals will be heard by a BICC appellate tribunal if the judgment is in Arabic or if the parties mutually agree.
According to Marike Paulsson, Secretary General of the Council for International Dispute Resolution for the Kingdom of Bahrain, the creation of the BICC marks "an unprecedented joint venture between two nations in the pursuit of transnational justice."
The court will be inaugurated alongside the launch of Bahrain's Global Justice Bay, envisioned as a global hub for dispute resolution.
Congratulating Anand, Union Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal said,
"This recognition of an eminent Indian jurist on such a distinguished global forum is a testament to India's growing stature in international arbitration and commercial dispute resolution. Her appointment reflects the confidence reposed in Indian legal expertise and will further strengthen cross-border judicial cooperation."
Despite her international appointment, Anand will continue her legal practice in India while performing her judicial responsibilities for the BICC remotely or through periodic visits to Bahrain.
The BICC's first session on November 5 will coincide with the King Hamad Lecture Ceremony on 'Neutral Justice', followed by an international conference on the role of global courts in advancing transnational justice.