Mediation Holds Huge Potential For India, Can Deliver Major Success: CJI Surya Kant

New Delhi, Dec 1 (KNN) Chief Justice of India Surya Kant recently dismissed the long-held notion that mediation weakens the judiciary, calling it an ‘unacceptable perception’ and urging the legal community to champion the mechanism as a vital tool for resolving disputes.

Speaking at a felicitation event organised by the Bar Council of India, the CJI said global experiences show strong support for mediation, recalling his visit to Malaysia where bar bodies themselves actively promoted it. He noted that mediation has the potential to ‘write many success stories in India.’

Highlighting challenges in the justice system, Chief Justice Kant stressed that real progress depends on strengthening the district judiciary, where most litigants experience justice for the first, and often the only time.

He said nearly 70 percent of litigants expect their matters to be settled at the trial court stage, and a significant proportion leaves dissatisfied. Mediation, he said, offers a constructive alternative where “both parties leave the court with a smile.”

The CJI urged lawyers to act as ‘ambassadors of mediation’ to help reduce case burdens and improve access to justice.

(KNN Bureau)