Patna: The Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) would be useful in providing speedy justice to people at the local level, Patna High Court Chief Justice Mukesh R. Shah said on Saturday, hinting at the high number of pending cases in courts.
The ADR is an out-of-court dispute settlement mechanism to settle civil matters, such as family and property related disputes, with the help of third-party mediation and negotiation that acts as a means to make disagreeing parties come to an agreement pre-litigation.
The mechanism has legal sanction and enforcement.
The chief justice was addressing judges and lawyers at the inauguration event of a newly-constructed building of ADR near Bettiah district court in West Champaran.
It was Mukesh R Shah's first public appearance after he took oath as chief justice of the Patna High Court from the then Bihar Governor Satya Pal Malik last month.
"The local level disputes can be settled at local level using the Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanism," Chief Justice Shah said. "If the disputes can be disposed at the local level the people should resort to litigation as a matter of ego."
Going by the speeches, everybody seemed to be in agreement that people must be encouraged to settle their disputes through Alternative Dispute Resolution, which may lead to speedy disposal of cases, thereby reducing the burden of pending cases on courts.
While recalling his experience as a judge of the Gujarat High Court, Chief Justice Shah said around 5 lakh cases have been disposed through Alternative Dispute Resolution in Gujarat.
The chief justice also appealed to the people engaged in the legal profession to refer to ADRs cases that could be handled at the local level, which will ensure speedy justice for people at the local level.
Among the speakers were several judges from Patna High Court.
Patna High Court judges such as Justice Ravi Ranjan, Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh, Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh, Justice Ashwani Kumar Singh and Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah were also present on the occasion.
