VIJAYAWADA: Stating that Indians possess an inherited DNA of mediation, citing Lord Sri Krishna as codified mediator who tried to resolve war between Pandavas and Kauravas, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant emphasised the importance and value of mediation as a very effective judicial method for the resolution of disputes.
The CJI attended as a chief guest the State Level Symposium on Mediation ‘Dialogue as Cornerstone of Justice’ organised by the Andhra Pradesh State Legal Services Authority in Vijayawada on Sunday.
Addressing the gathering of Supreme Court and High Court judges and advocates, the CJI recalled his earlier efforts of bringing popularity to mediation services in the judiciary during the first international mediation conference held in Delhi, and asserted that mediation is an ideal medium to resolve disputes with a win-win situation.
CJI: Mediators must win trust of both parties while resolving legal disputes
“The mediation all of you know is something in our DNA. The entire history will speak how mediation has always been a very effective mode of dispute resolution. That story where Lord Sri Krishna failed to mediate between the two warring groups also tells one thing which really puts us into introspection, and how then it becomes important for us to really emphasise mediation, the CJI explained, citing Mahabharat.
He also said the Andhra Pradesh government played the role of a successful mediator by convincing farmers to offer lands for the construction of Capital Amaravati.
Appreciating the efforts of the State Legal Services Authority, the CJI said trained mediators should gain the trust of both the parties during mediation.
“It is not possible for us to fix a timeline in courts where the matters can be resolved. Most of the matters are family or commercial disputes and we have specialised courts. But there are certain matters which remain pending for quite sometime. So in that kind of scenario, mediation becomes a very effective tool for dispute resolution for us,” the CJI said, adding that it is the duty of the judiciary to promote mediation for swift dispute resolution.
Andhra Pradesh High Court Chief Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur expressed his happiness as the State leads in the success rate of mediation in the country.
He further requested the State government to increase incentives for mediators from the present Rs 3,000 on successful mediation to Rs 10,000 and Rs 3,000 for unsuccessful mediation to promote mediation, arbitration and reconciliation.
Justice Ch Manavendranath Roy and Justice JK Maheshwari also spoke on effective implementation of mediation in the field of legal services and bringing down the number disputes.