Supreme Court judge Justice Madan B Lokur has said mediation is the best option for litigants to resolve disputes in a speedy manner.
Delivering the inaugural address at the South Zone Regional Conference on Mediation, jointly organised by the the Mediation and Conciliation Project Committee, Supreme Court; Kerala High Court and Kerala State Legal Services Authority, Justice Lokur pointed out that lawyers and judicial officers were still unaware of the possibilities of the mediation process. “By opting for mediation, lawyers are not going to lose their revenue.
Instead, they get the disputes resolved fast and thereby attract and service more clients. All stakeholders -- the litigants, lawyers and judiciary -- benefit by resorting to mediation,” he said. Judicial officers have a role to play in selecting cases which could be referred to the three methods of alternative forms of dispute resolution, he said.
“They should decide which case should be referred for mediation for arbitration or Lok Adalats,” Justice Lokur said, who is also a member of the Mediation and Conciliation Project Committee under the Supreme Court.
Speaking at the function, Supreme Court judge Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri said alternative dispute resolution methods such as mediation were best for both the parties.
Mediation also offers justice to everybody. In adversarial legal process, only one of the parties wins a case. Mediation advocacy gives a better solution. Kerala High Court Chief Justice Manjula Chellur, who presided over the function, said community mediation undertaken by the State Mediation and Conciliation Centre had produced good outcome.
“In many cases, the intervention of the Centre had brought down the intensity of hostile feelings between the parties. Mediation process in Sivagiri Madom disputes was successful. The intervention of the Centre facilitated to end nurses’ strike and also reduced enmity between parties in Church cases.
Kerala State Mediation and Conciliation Centre board of governors’ president Justice S Siri Jagan welcomed the gathering and member Justice Harun-Ul-Rashid proposed the vote of thanks. Justice Sikri released a newsletter of the Centre by handing over a copy to Justice Manjula Chellur.