President Murmu pushes for legal empowerment of mediators at village level to settle disputes

NEW DELHI: President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday made a strong pitch for legally empowering mediators at the village level to settle disputes so that they do not reach higher courts.

She also said that while people who mediate in family or land disputes in village are socially empowered, they lack legal empowerment which leads to such cases failing to get settle at the village level itself.

Addressing the first conference on mediation here, the president said during resolution of disputes, affected parties know that the mediators lack delegation of legal powers, therefore, they do not agree with the decisions.

She said there was a need to create a mechanism where disputes at village level are settled there only and the atmosphere is not vitiated and people live in harmony.

At times the disputes spiral out. Several small issues can be resolved at the grassroots level itself she asserted.

Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, CJI-designate B R Gavai and Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal were also present at the event.

She said it could perhaps be due to an oversight or lack of time that a judicial system from the village to the Supreme Court has not been established.

She said the mediation system did exist in the villages. But since people are educated now, they know that the mediators lack any power.

In his address, Meghwal said mediation is not merely a reform but a collective responsibility and asserted that “more mediate, less litigate” should be the key mantra.

The minister reminded the audience that Angad in Ramayana and Lord Krishna in Mahaabharata played the role of mediators and said mediation is embedded in the Indian culture.

CJI Khanna also launched the Mediation Association of India, which Attorney General R Venkataramani had earlier this week said would work as a catalyst in the creation of the proposed Mediation Council of Indi as mandated in the Mediation Act of 2023. (PTI)