India and Nepal complete legal pact processes in Delhi talks

India and Nepal have completed the internal processes needed to bring into force a mutual legal assistance agreement on criminal matters, following talks in Delhi between the two countries' foreign ministers. The meeting took place on Saturday, when Nepal's foreign minister, Shishir Khanal, met India's external affairs minister, S Jaishankar. The two sides also reviewed wider cooperation across development, connectivity, energy, health, trade and transit.

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According to an official statement, both ministers welcomed the completion of the internal procedures for the entry into force of the India-Nepal Mutual Legal Assistance Agreement in Criminal Matters. The agreement is intended to provide an institutional legal framework to improve the effectiveness of investigation, prosecution and judicial proceedings linked to cross-border crimes. Jaishankar said after the meeting that the discussion covered development cooperation, connectivity, energy, especially hydropower development, education, health, capacity building, digital cooperation, culture and sports.

The talks also produced several practical steps in the bilateral relationship. India handed over 72 health facilities and 12 cultural heritage projects completed under post-2015 earthquake reconstruction assistance to Nepal. The two sides also launched a peer-to-peer linkage between India's Unified Payments Interface and Nepal's National Payments Interface to support cross-border personal remittances.

In addition, a memorandum of understanding was signed between Digital India Bhashini and Kathmandu University to work on a national digital infrastructure for a voice-first language translation platform. The legal agreement matters because it formalises cooperation on cross-border crime at a time when the two neighbours are also trying to deepen economic and people-to-people links. Nepal and India share an open and closely connected border, and the ability to exchange legal assistance can affect how authorities handle investigations that move across jurisdictions.

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The focus on energy, especially hydropower, also underlines the importance of the relationship for Nepal's development and for India's regional connectivity goals. The meeting came days after the chief of Nepal's ruling RSP, Rabi Lamichhane, met Indian leadership in Delhi, suggesting a period of active political contact between the two countries. The Nepalese foreign minister also met India's national security adviser, Ajit Doval, during the visit.

The official language used by both sides pointed to an effort to present the relationship as broad-based, covering security, development and digital cooperation as well as trade and transit. What remains unclear is how quickly the legal pact will be used in practice and whether the new arrangements will lead to faster cooperation in specific criminal cases. It is also not yet clear what further follow-up will come from the wider package of announcements made during the visit.

For now, the main development is that both governments say the legal steps needed for the agreement to take effect have been completed.

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