Chief Justice Arun Bhansali Inaugurates Mediation & Conciliation Centre At Allahabad HC Administrative Building

The construction of the building was sped up upon an increase in references to mediation under the Special Mediation Drive 'Mediation For The Nation' Campaign, propelled by the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) and the Mediation and Conciliation Project Committee (MCPC), Supreme Court of India.

The event was graced by the Judges of the Allahabad High Court, with the Chief Justice Arun Bhansali as the Chief Guest, Senior Judge, Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta as the Guest of Honour, Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi as the Guest of Honour and Members of the Committee for Mediation and Conciliation Centre at Allahabad.

Justice Shekhar B. Saraf, Chairman of the committee, along with Justice Piyush Agrawal, Member, Justice Saurabh Srivastava, Member and Justice Nand Prabha Shukla, Member, also graced the occasion with their presence.

Chief Justice Bhansali unveiled the Plaque and inaugurated the Mediation and Conciliation Centre on the 6th Floor of the Administrative Annexe Building, followed by lighting of the lamp and a short speech.

The Chief Justice highlighted mediation's importance as a strong Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) means and said that the judiciary is actively promoting it by making more references to Mediation.

The speech was backed by examples that highlighted the ease with which mediation can resolve even complicated cases. It was stressed that while litigation creates a win-lose situation, Mediation always ends in a win-win situation.

The Chief Justice also explained the outcome of the mediation, in which no party feels defeated. It is the legal system (ADR) that provides satisfaction and victory to both parties.

Further, it was highlighted that the outcome of litigation is very uncertain and time-consuming, and mediation is a good option for resolving certain disputes.

The Chief Justice ended the speech by congratulating the Mediation Committee and the Advocate-Mediators present on the occasion. At the end of the programme, Senior Advocate Ashok Mehta, and organising Secretary of AHCMCC, extended a vote of thanks.

It is noteworthy that under the campaign, under the guidelines of the Supreme Court, about 86853 cases have been referred for mediation from different District Courts of Uttar Pradesh to their respective Mediation Centers, out of which 6824 have been settled after successful mediation during the drive. Specifically, the respective data of Allahabad High Court is 1218, wherein 46 cases settled after successful mediation.

In the guidance of MCPC, Supreme Court, initiative has been driven by Justice Shekhar B. Saraf, Chairman, Mediation and Conciliation Committee, Allahabad High Court with extended support of Justice Arun Bhansali (CJ), Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta (Chairman SALSA Committee Allahabad High Court), Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi (Chairman, Legal Aid Service Committee, Allahabad High Court), along with Justice Piyush Agarwal, Justice Saurabh Srivastava & Justice Nand Prabha Shukla (all three members of Mediation and Conciliation Committee, Allahabad High Court).