Two-day training program for mediators begins in Mysuru

A two-day training program for mediators from Mysuru, Chamarajanagar and Kodagu districts, jointly organized by the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority (KSLSA) and Bengaluru Mediation Centre, began on Saturday at the Mysuru Zilla Panchayat headquarters in the city.

A total of 60 mediators, including 20 from Mysuru, Chamarajanagar and Kodagu districts, were part of the training programme, which was inaugurated by Principal District and Sessions Judge Ravindra Hegde.

On the occasion, Justice Hegde emphasized the need to hone mediation skills for mediators to resolve disputes. He referred to the statistics regarding the settlement of cases through mediation in Mysuru and said that there was scope for improvement in the role played by mediators and hoped that the training program would help achieve the objective and give competition to mediation efforts in Bengaluru.

Judge Hegde also advised the mediators to respect the deadline given for the resolution of the cases referred to the court. Although courts normally allow about 60 days for mediation, judges do not receive reports from mediators during this time. The law does not allow the court to extend the deadline without receiving a formal request to extend the deadline for mediation, he pointed out.

He also advised the mediators to respect the litigants’ time and attend the mediation at the appointed time without making the litigants wait. Mediators should make the mediation process attractive to litigants through timeliness and outcome, he said.

Family court chief judge Savitri SK said the caseload in the family court has increased and asked mediators to attend cases in large numbers.

Since all family court cases are not the same, mediators should approach and resolve them differently.

Mysuru Bar Association President Lokesh said that mediators can play a very important role in resolving cases and stressed the need for mediators to be patient in handling disputes.

Mediation Trainers SR Anuradha and Brinda Nandakumar and Mysuru District Legal Services Authority Member Secretary Dinesh BG were also present on the occasion.

According to KSLSA, mediation is one of the alternative dispute resolution methods under section 89 of the Civil Procedure Code. “Mediation is a process in which a neutral third party assists disputing parties to creatively resolve their disputes without going to trial. Mediation is a unique opportunity for all parties and their lawyers. A neutral third party, called a mediator, uses speciation negotiation skills and communication techniques to help litigants resolve their differences and find a solution to their dispute,” according to KSLSA.

Mediation is widely used to resolve a variety of disputes – divorce cases, money suits, injunction suits, damages suit, participation suits, IPR claims, etc., KSLSA said.

EoM