The Parliament has passed the Mediation Bill 2023 with the Lok Sabha giving its assent to the Bill on Monday. The Rajya Sabha had cleared it on 1st of this month.
Replying to the discussion on the Bill, Minister for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal said, Mediation is not a new concept for an ancient country like India regarding Mediation. He said, many examples are available in different texts and scriptures. Mr Meghwal said, Government brought the bill so that the problems of people, especially the poor, are solved. He said, nearly 70 thousand cases are pending in Supreme Court, 60 lakh cases are pending in High Courts and four crore cases are pending in District and Subordinate courts. The Minister said, Government has given priority to reduce the pendency of cases in the courts. He said the bill will boost the ease of living and will be cost-effective. He said, through this bill mediation centres will get legal support.
Subhash Baheria and Virendra Singh Mast of BJP, Malook Nagar of BSP and N. Reddeppa of YSRCP spoke on the Bill.
The Bill requires persons to try to settle civil or commercial disputes through mediation before approaching any court or tribunal. A party may withdraw from mediation after two mediation sessions. The mediation process must be completed within 180 days, which may be extended by another 180 days by the parties. The Bill provides for the setting up of The Mediation Council of India. Its functions will include registering mediators, and recognising mediation service providers and mediation institutes.
