Mediation to reduce burden of pending cases; Justice Katju

Allahabad, Oct 7 (UNI) Mediation in due course will reduce the burden of pending cases in High Courts and would give full opportunity to decide the category of cases which could not be decided by this method, a Supreme Court Judge said.

Addressing an introductory meeting on Mediation organised by ''Samvad'' here last evening, Justice Markandey Katju said it would prove to be the most efficacious and expeditious dispute resolving system as the people have now become frustrated with the long pending cases.

Justice Katju said it was only due to delay in disposal of cases that the judges and lawyers both were at present working under tremendous pressure.

If the situation remains unchanged, it might lead people to resort to illegal methods,'' he cautioned.

A mediation centre would be opened at the Allahabad High Court since the experience at the other two centres functioning at Madras and Delhi were found to be encouraging.

The lawyers need not be apprehensive of mediation centres and they would themselves be selected for this job Lawyers are the best mediators because of their knowledge of law to understand the nature of dispute, he added.

As Chief Justice of the Madras and Delhi High Courts, Justice Katju helped a lot in setting up of a mediation centre at both the places.

Senior advocate of Madras High Court Sri Ram Panchu said the mediation was an expansion of boundaries of legal practice and an altogether different experience for the lawyers, while not all but a few cases relating to business and commercial, labour dispute, landlord-tenant and family dispute could be resolved through mediation.

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