By IANS,
Shimla : Himachal Pradesh’s first mediation centre meant to prevent unnecessary litigation was inaugurated at the high court complex here Saturday by Supreme Court judge S.B. Sinha.
“Mediation can prevent unnecessary litigation and there is a need for creating awareness in this regard to avoid unnecessary delay in getting justice,” Sinha said.
“In several litigations, even the parties are not in a position to understand the importance of mediation. So, there is a need for creating awareness on alternative disputes resolution (ADR)”.
The initiative to set up the mediation centre was taken by Himachal Pradesh Chief Justice Jagdish Bhalla.
Bhalla said: “ADR is by far the most tried and tested alternate method to ensure speedy and economical justice. Of course, the mediation centre will lessen the burden of the courts.”
As of now, the 10 high court judges in the state are working overtime to settle the backlog of cases, the number of which increased after the Himachal Pradesh Administrative Tribunal was abolished.
“The pendency crossed the 50,000 mark with the transfer of 24,000 pending cases from the administrative tribunal to the high court,” a court official said.