In a significant push to promote out-of-court settlements, a comprehensive 40-hour mediation training programme kicked off on Monday in Nuapada district, Odisha. The initiative aims to equip legal professionals with advanced skills for resolving disputes amicably.
Strengthening Alternative Dispute Resolution Mechanisms
The intensive five-day programme is being conducted at the district panchayat resource centre in Silda, Nuapada. It has brought together 30 advocate-mediators from various courts across the district. The primary goal is to strengthen the framework of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and reduce the burden on the conventional judicial system by encouraging mutually acceptable settlements.
This training is a crucial step towards institutionalising mediation as a primary tool for conflict resolution. By empowering advocates with formal mediation certification, the programme seeks to create a robust pool of practitioners who can facilitate faster and less adversarial outcomes for disputing parties.
Organisers and Expert Trainers
The programme is being organised by the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) of Nuapada. It operates under the guidance of two key bodies: the Odisha State Legal Services Committee and the Mediation and Conciliation Project Committee (MCPC) of the Supreme Court of India.
Leading the training sessions are two esteemed experts: Senior Advocates Rajesh Dash and Shiv Shankar Prasad. Both trainers are certified master trainers by the Supreme Court's MCPC and hail from the Jharkhand High Court. Their expertise is expected to provide participants with deep insights into practical mediation techniques and legal nuances.
Impact and Future Implications
The launch of this training underscores a growing national emphasis on mediation. For a district like Nuapada, enhancing local legal capacity in ADR can have several positive impacts:
- Faster Justice: Mediation can resolve cases in weeks or months, unlike litigation which can take years.
- Reduced Costs: It lowers legal expenses for all parties involved.
- Preserved Relationships: An amicable settlement process helps maintain relationships between disputing individuals or entities.
- Decongesting Courts: It helps alleviate the massive backlog of cases pending in various courts.
The successful completion of this programme will add a significant number of qualified mediators to the district's legal landscape. This initiative by DLSA Nuapada is a model for other districts to follow, potentially leading to a more efficient and accessible justice delivery system across Odisha and India.
