SC judge caution on wasting public money

Supreme Court Justice BV Nagarathna has criticised government bodies for pursuing hopeless cases that waste public money and judicial time, urging instead the adoption of mediation as a more effective means of resolving disputes.

- FPJ News Service

Speaking at the Second National Mediation Conference in Bhubaneswar on September 27, she said, "If a government body goes on initiating another round of litigation where there exists no likelihood of success, our country's resources will continue to be improperly used and judicial time mislocated."

Justice Nagarathna described mediation as timely, accessible and equitable. She called upon lawyers to see themselves as "healers of human conflict" and encouraged the judiciary to fully embrace the Mediation Act, 2023, which represents Parliament's intent to expand access to justice and reduce the burden on courts.

"Mediation is a new dimension not only to achieve justice, but to access justice," she said.

As reported by Bar and Bench.

She also suggested sectoral approaches to strengthen mediation, including green mediators for environmental disputes, patient advocacy groups for healthcare mediation, WIPOstyle systems for intellectual property disputes and mediation clauses in start-up agreements.