A Bill that aims to cut down the time to complete mediation proceedings got Parliamentary approval on Monday with the Lok Sabha passing it.
The Mediation Bill, 2023, which halves the time for completing mediation proceedings to 180 days, had been passed by the Rajya Sabha on August 1.
The bill had been introduced in the Upper House on August 2021 and later, it was referred to the Standing Committee on Law and Personnel.
The Bill, makes pre-litigation mediation voluntary instead of mandatory. It also sets up a Mediation Council of India which would be a neutral third party.
Four Speakers participated in the debate on the Bill.
Replying to the discussion, Minister for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal said: “Mediation is not a new concept for us. It is in our blood. In Mahabharat Sri Krishna had also taken a peace message. He was a mediator”.
Mr Meghwal said that there are 4.43 lakh cases pending in district subordinate courts, 60.63 lakh cases in high courts and around 70,000 cases in the Supreme Court.
He said that 52,968 cases have been resolved through mediation between April 2021 to March 2022.
