Alternative dispute resolution mechanism need of hour: Judge

Rajneesh Lakhanpal
Legal Correspondent
Ludhiana, September 14

Adoption of an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanism is the need of the hour, as it can prove more helpful to the Indian Judiciary facing heavy pendency of cases than the traditional litigation process.

This was stated by Justice Rakesh Jain of the Punjab and Haryana High Court-cum-Executive Chairman of State Legal Services Authority. He was here in connection with the National Lok Adalat.

He said mediation was a wonderful process where a neutral third party assists the parties to a suit to resolve their disputes and difference of opinion, resulting in a meeting of minds. In mediation, a neutral mediator facilitates conversation between the parties to break the deadlock between them and bridge the gaps. It allows them to resolve their disputes and misunderstandings by arriving at a negotiated settlement, he added.