Lok Sabha Question No. 3903 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-08-11
Subject: Disposal of Cases through Mediation Centres
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: Rajeshbhai Naranbhai Chudasama

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LAW & JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OF LEGAL AFFAIRS ****

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3903 TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY, THE 11-8-2023

## Disposal of Cases through Mediation Centres

## 3903.  SHRI RAJESHBHAI CHUDASAMA:

Will the Minister of LAW AND JUSTICE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government proposes to encourage the States to support district mediation centres to resolve the cases particularly related to the poor;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the number of cases brought to and disposed off by the said mediation centres during the last five years and the current year, State-wise;
- (d) whether the Government proposes to expand the facilities of existing mediation centres in this regard; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS; AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY

## MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE; MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF OF CULTURE

## (SHRI ARJUN RAM MEGHWAL)

(a)  &  (b) Yes  Sir,  the  Government  is  committed  towards  encouraging  Alternative  Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms including mediation, which is expected to reduce the burden on the judiciary and thereby enable timely dispensation of justice to the citizens of the country.

It  is  the  endeavour  of  the  Government  that  judiciary  and  legislature  work  together  for encouraging adoption of ADR mechanisms including mediation, for early resolution of disputes.

Section  89  of  the  Code  of  Civil  Procedure,  1908,  was  inserted  through  the  Code  of  Civil Procedure  (Amendment)  Act,  1999,  and  is  effective  from  01.07.2002.  Section  89  states  that where it appears to the Court that there exist elements of a settlement which may be acceptable

to the parties, the Court shall formulate the terms of settlement and give them to the parties for their observations and after receiving the observations of the parties, the Court may reformulate the  terms  of  a  possible  settlement  and  refer  the  same  for  arbitration;  conciliation;  judicial settlement including settlement through Lok Adalat; or mediation.

Mediation therefore is one of the modes of ADR, which have been enabled under Section 89 of the Civil Procedure Code, 1908 and has emerged as a popular and useful method for settlement of  disputes.  The  Legal  Service  Authorities  and  court  annexed  mediation  centres  are  actively involved in getting the disputes settled through mediation and the Government encourages and supports the endeavors.

(c): The details of the cases brought to and disposed of by the Mediation Centres under the aegis of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), during the last five financial years and the current financial (upto May, 2023), State-wise is as per Annexure-A.

(d)  &  (e): NALSA has allotted  grants  to  the  Mediation  and  Conciliation  Project  Committee, Supreme Court of India, to support mediation activities including training. Further, in order to promote  and  encourage  mediation,  awareness  campaigns  are  conducted  to  make  the  citizenry aware of mediation as an effective mode of dispute resolution.

The Rajya Sabha on 01.08.2023 and the Lok Sabha on 07.08.2023, has also passed the Mediation Bill,  2023,  to  enact  a  standalone  law  on  mediation.  The  Bill  aims  to inter-alia promote, encourage  and  facilitate  mediation  for  resolution  of  disputes,  commercial  or  otherwise  and enforce mediated settlement agreements and establish the Mediation Council of India.

Annexure referred to in reply to part (c) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3903 due for answer on 11-08-2023.

Statement showing the details of cases received and settled through Mediation and during the last five financial years 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-2023 and the current financial year 2023-24 (upto May, 2023):

| S.NO   | SLSA                     | 2018-19        | 2018-19                         | 2019-20        | 2019-20                         | 2020-21        | 2020-21                         | 2021-22        | 2021-22                         | 2022-23        | 2022-23                         | 2022-23 (upto May, 23)   | 2022-23 (upto May, 23)          |
|--------|--------------------------|----------------|---------------------------------|----------------|---------------------------------|----------------|---------------------------------|----------------|---------------------------------|----------------|---------------------------------|--------------------------|---------------------------------|
| S.NO   | SLSA                     | Cases Received | Cases settled through mediation | Cases Received | Cases settled through mediation | Cases Received | Cases settled through mediation | Cases Received | Cases settled through mediation | Cases Received | Cases settled through mediation | Cases Received           | Cases settled through mediation |
| 1      | Andaman& Nicobar Islands | 84             | 14                              | 65             | 15                              | 89             | 18                              | 103            | 15                              | 152            | 31                              | 7                        | 5                               |
| 2      | Andhra Pradesh           | 5778           | 1124                            | 4153           | 922                             | 710            | 340                             | 2317           | 590                             | 3160           | 455                             | 296                      | 61                              |
| 3      | Arunachal Pradesh        | 0              | 0                               | 0              | 0                               | 0              | 0                               | 0              | 0                               | 0              | 0                               | 0                        | 0                               |
| 4      | Assam                    | 1102           | 354                             | 1062           | 402                             | 345            | 124                             | 482            | 153                             | 1316           | 336                             | 295                      | 70                              |
| 5      | Bihar                    | 2884           | 294                             | 5261           | 930                             | 1258           | 209                             | 2113           | 371                             | 6375           | 1114                            | 1062                     | 220                             |
| 6      | Chhattisgarh             | 3221           | 660                             | 3302           | 967                             | 683            | 233                             | 1960           | 446                             | 2839           | 745                             | 433                      | 102                             |
| 7      | Dadra &Nagar Haveli      | 27             | 14                              | 52             | 18                              | 56             | 21                              | 73             | 24                              | 87             | 19                              | 18                       | 1                               |
| 8      | Daman &Diu               | 7              | 3                               | 66             | 16                              | 3              | 3                               | 1              | 0                               | 33             | 11                              | 2                        | 0                               |
| 9      | Delhi                    | 2485           | 802                             | 2385           | 837                             | 1864           | 600                             | 2782           | 793                             | 2677           | 947                             | 402                      | 117                             |
| 10     | Goa                      | 170            | 16                              | 573            | 65                              | 128            | 7                               | 117            | 6                               | 181            | 9                               | 27                       | 3                               |
| 11     | Gujarat                  | 3762           | 520                             | 6461           | 654                             | 1630           | 190                             | 5437           | 536                             | 13235          | 1331                            | 1712                     | 272                             |
| 12     | Haryana                  | 13070          | 2429                            | 17119          | 2623                            | 2651           | 474                             | 13370          | 1941                            | 18966          | 2477                            | 3210                     | 420                             |
| 13     | Himachal Pradesh         | 2119           | 446                             | 1817           | 326                             | 548            | 79                              | 1090           | 178                             | 2109           | 396                             | 353                      | 90                              |
| 14     | Jammu &Kashmir           | 820            | 116                             | 661            | 84                              | 93             | 16                              | 227            | 22                              | 634            | 100                             | 55                       | 13                              |
| 15     | Jharkhand                | 20019          | 8954                            | 17194          | 8137                            | 6932           | 2856                            | 12423          | 3933                            | 23711          | 9533                            | 3788                     | 1470                            |
| 16     | Karnataka                | 21493          | 6515                            | 21386          | 6753                            | 9403           | 3494                            | 18275          | 6619                            | 26050          | 8397                            | 2798                     | 1021                            |

| 17   | Kerala           |   36959 |   12534 |   39440 |   13384 |   8995 |   3281 |   25183 |   7445 |   49455 |   16003 |   5270 |   1925 |
|------|------------------|---------|---------|---------|---------|--------|--------|---------|--------|---------|---------|--------|--------|
| 18   | Lakshadweep      |       0 |       0 |       0 |       0 |      0 |      0 |       0 |      0 |       0 |       0 |      0 |      0 |
| 19   | Madhya Pradesh   |   66406 |   21995 |   69341 |   19292 |  15014 |   2911 |   45249 |   6990 |   77816 |   15918 |  11696 |   2645 |
| 20   | Maharashtra      |   51584 |   20255 |   58276 |   20595 |  20156 |   8395 |   42063 |  13746 |   58204 |   16973 |   6990 |   2118 |
| 21   | Manipur          |     150 |      26 |     183 |      42 |     30 |     10 |      68 |     22 |     517 |     122 |     22 |     11 |
| 22   | Meghalaya        |       6 |       1 |       5 |       0 |      9 |      2 |       4 |      0 |      15 |       3 |      2 |      0 |
| 23   | Mizoram          |       0 |       0 |       0 |       0 |      0 |      0 |       0 |      0 |       0 |       0 |      0 |      0 |
| 24   | Nagaland         |       0 |       0 |       0 |       0 |      0 |      0 |       0 |      0 |       0 |       0 |      0 |      0 |
| 25   | Odisha           |    1572 |     108 |    1378 |      90 |    305 |     40 |     734 |     75 |    1233 |     124 |    638 |     29 |
| 26   | Puducherry       |     323 |      26 |     265 |      20 |     74 |     20 |      82 |      5 |     120 |      10 |     18 |      1 |
| 27   | Punjab           |   13241 |    2317 |   14446 |    2591 |   1930 |    332 |   10354 |   1203 |   20280 |    2934 |   3644 |    669 |
| 28   | Rajasthan        |   27729 |    2548 |   26410 |    2219 |   4070 |    298 |    6890 |    483 |    6450 |     483 |   1197 |    115 |
| 29   | Sikkim           |     107 |      49 |     165 |      73 |     49 |     32 |     118 |     51 |     188 |      80 |     39 |     15 |
| 30   | Tamil Nadu       |   21392 |    2460 |   15851 |    2379 |   7226 |   1019 |   12373 |   1615 |   17131 |    2664 |   2288 |    277 |
| 31   | Telangana        |    3779 |     571 |    4023 |     641 |   1123 |    284 |    2647 |    590 |    4340 |     617 |    421 |     55 |
| 32   | Tripura          |     287 |      27 |     283 |      29 |    128 |      9 |     273 |     13 |     316 |      16 |    154 |     12 |
| 33   | U. T. Chandigarh |    1185 |     362 |    1821 |     433 |    281 |     43 |     844 |    160 |    1766 |     559 |    294 |    101 |
| 34   | Uttar Pradesh    |   43441 |    8092 |   44405 |    7147 |   6518 |   2188 |   43768 |   4191 |   64688 |    7525 |  10830 |   1306 |
| 35   | Uttarakhand      |    1411 |     514 |    1836 |     517 |    262 |     49 |     410 |     84 |     678 |      84 |     85 |     12 |
| 36   | West Bengal      |   11034 |    4820 |    9147 |    2664 |   1927 |    724 |    2230 |    668 |    8259 |    2430 |    365 |    105 |
| 37   | Ladakh           |       0 |       0 |       0 |       0 |      8 |      0 |      35 |      0 |       9 |       0 |      5 |      2 |
|      | Grand Total      |  357647 |   98966 |  368832 |   94865 |  94498 |  28301 |  254095 |  52968 |  412990 |   92446 |  58416 |  13263 |