Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday inaugurated six new mediation centers under the Delhi Dispute Resolution Society (DDRS), marking the tenth anniversary of the Society held at the Delhi Secretariat.
The tenth anniversary ceremony of DDRS was also attended by the Delhi Law Minister Kailash Gahlot, former Supreme Court Judge Justice Madan B. Lokur, Justice ML Mehta, Chairman of DDRS and Chief Secretary of the national Capital Vijay Kumar Dev.
“Mediation is a powerful idea. It is the best way for dispute resolution. In mediation, both the parties win and the disputes get settled cordially. Delhi Dispute Resolution Society will be made a model initiative for the country similar to Mohalla Clinics. We’ll aggressively promote this initiative,” said Kejriwal while addressing the ceremony.
As per the officials, since its inception, nearly 75,000 cases were brought to DDRS and around 33,000 cases have been settled with a highly commendable 44 per cent success rate.
“Usually, people prefer to get into litigation as the last resort. Litigation is very expensive and time-consuming. As Government working for the common people, Delhi Government is committed to ensure an affordable and accessible justice system in the city. We need to take justice to the doorstep of the people. For this, we’ll set up more mediation centers of DDRS across the city,” said the law minister Gahlot.
“India continues to be the largest democracy in the world. The credit goes to our great Constitution and the vision and the farsightedness of the founding fathers of the Constitution, as envisioned in the principles of the preamble — Justice, Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. DDRS is a good example of the harmonious interface between the judiciary and executive. Such ventures can establish people’s trust in the public institutions,” said Vijay Dev chief secretary of Delhi.
While the former Supreme Court Judge Justice Madan Lokur said, “In mediation, disputes get amicably settled. The relationships also will survive between the parties. Mediation can also facilitate quick resolution of the disputes, comparing to the lengthy judicial processes. Disputes get settled usually within 30-60 days. Mediation is less expensive. It is almost free”.