Supreme Court: 82,000 pending cases; High Courts: 62 lakh cases; Lower Courts: ~5 crore cases.
Nearly 50 lakh cases pending for over 10 years, impacting access to justice.
Challenges in the Legal System:
Adversarial system leads to multiple appeals, delays, and high litigation costs.
Low judge-to-population ratio: 21 judges per million citizens.
Government as the largest litigant (~50% of cases), prolonging disputes.
Infrastructure, human resource, and financial constraints slowing down judicial processes.
Need for Mediation & ADR Mechanisms:
Mediation as an alternative: Introduced in India in 2005, now widely accepted.
Disputants work with trained neutrals for a mutually acceptable resolution in a confidential setting.
Faster, cost-effective, and prevents prolonged litigation.
Implementation & Benefits:
Assigning trained mediators to pending cases can ease backlog.
Lower costs and fewer hearings compared to litigation.
Enhances relationship restoration in disputes, particularly in civil, commercial, matrimonial, and property cases.
Way Forward
Expanding mediation as a primary dispute resolution mechanism in civil cases.
Strengthening infrastructure for ADR mechanisms within courts.
Encouraging government and businesses to adopt mediation before litigation.
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