Mediation Should Travel Beyond The Confines Of Courts: Justice S Ravindra Bhat

On Monday, Justice S Ravindra Bhat, Judge of the Supreme Court of India, released the book "Mediation: Theory To Practice" authored by advocate and alternate dispute resolution specialist Iram Majid.

Speaking at India International Centre, Justice Bhat said that mediation was part of the Indian consciousness. He emphasised that in order to mediate in the right manner, one needed to put himself in the shoes of the adversary.

The judge expressed that he hoped to see mediation as a popular choice irrespective of the financial status of the parties. 

"Mediation should travel beyond the confines of courts and lawyers," Justice Bhat added.

Noting that mediation helped to attain finality in disputes, Justice Manmohan, Judge of the Delhi High Court, said that mediation preserved relationships as it made the parties sit at the table and amicably settle their issues.

Justice Manmohan said, "Mediation is an art and science and mediator is nothing short of a doctor or engineer."

Explaining the costs of litigation, Justice Najmi Waziri, Judge of the Delhi High Court said, "maamle ki pairhvi karne ke liye chaandi ke haath aur lohe ke joote hone chahiye (To do advocacy for an issue, one needs hands of silver and shoes of gold)."

Mr. Sudhir Mishra, Founder and Managing Partner, Trust Legal, said that mediation in environmental law had also been incremental and useful for the advancement of the field.

Iram Majid, the author of the book, spoke on how her spirituality helped her during her struggle and in the writing of the book.

"I have received immense love and respect from the society and I believe we have a moral duty to give back to the society. This book is an answer to that and no better than teacher's day to launch it," Iram said.

Underscoring the importance of initiating mediation at pre-litigation stage, Huzefa Ahmadi, Senior Advocate at the Supreme Court of India said that, "Wise people with robust common sense can make people mediate."