With 1.22 Lakh cases pending, CJ for settling disputes by mediation

JAMMU: In wake of piling pendency of cases in High and lower courts across Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Justice Badar Durrez Ahmed has called for mediation as the best way to settle disputes.
Justice Durrez emphasised mediation as the best option to settle disputes, so as to save parties from financial expenses, besides the energy that is sapped in court proceedings.
It may be mentioned here that as on date, a total of 1,22,209 cases are pending across the High Court and all the lower courts in state, of which as many as 8761 cases have been pending in the courts for more than a decade.
Justice Durrez, who was recently appointed as the 33rd Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir high court in April this year, has been taking an active interest in seeing into it that pendency is reduced while laying stressing on fast pacing the hearings of cases, in past 9 months.
The things have shown some signs of improvement, though the disparity between number of cases filed and cases disposed still remains. The last month of November has seen 5083 cases filed across the state while cases disposed stood a little shy of four thousand mark, at 3987.
While speaking at inauguration ceremony of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) building in Kathua, Justice Durrez said that Alternate Dispute Resolution provides for best mechanism to settle disputes without sapping energy and finances of parties.
He also advocated recourse to mediation as best option to settle dispute of parties once for all.
Justice Janak Raj Kotwal who accompanied the Chief Justice seconded him, asserting that settlement of disputes through mediation puts lasting end to the litigation and this process, therefore, be encouraged for dispute resolution as an effective tool.
Principal District & Sessions Judge Kathua Justice Sanjeev Kumar, who was also present on the occasion, described alternate dispute resolution as an effective supplement, which can contribute a great deal in reducing delay in settlement of cases. He emphasized the need to boost this mechanism.
Earlier, Chief Justice inaugurated Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) building in the District Court Complex Kathua which has come up at the cost of Rs 1.22 crore and houses 4 Mediation Cubes, 1 Conference Hall along with other essential infrastructure utilities.
"The ADR Center will provide congenial atmosphere for mutual settlement of disputes to the parties", the Chief Justice said.
President Bar Association Kathua, Arvind Kumar Gupta who was also present on the occasion, highlighted the infrastructural issues and other problems faced by the lawyers and litigants in the district.
Principal District & Sessions Judge Kathua, Sanjeev Gupta, Justice Janak Raj Kotwal, Administrative Judge, Justice Sanjeev Kumar Shukla, Registrar General of the High Court, Sanjay Dhar, Principal Secretary to, Chief Justice, Jawad Ahmed, Member Secretary, J&K State Legal Services Authority, R.N. Wattal, Additional District Judge Kathua, Sikander Azam Chowdhary, Sub Judge Kathua, Sunil Sangra, Munsiff Kathua, Munish Kumar Manhas, Additional Deputy Commission, Rashpaul Singh, Members of Bar Association Kathua and other Bars of District, Officers of the District Administration and public was present on the occasion.