Centre's mediation bill referred to parl committee taking very good shape: Rijiju

"The Centre's mediation bill has been referred to the parliamentary standing committee on Law and Justice. It is taking a very good shape, and all the stakeholders including the sitting and retired judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts as well as some legal firms have given inputs on this bill," the Union law minister said.

Kevadia (Gujarat): The mediation bill has been referred to a parliamentary standing committee and it is taking a "very good shape", Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said here on Saturday and added that the government will push through the proposed legislation with the necessary inputs and amendments to make it comprehensive. He said the bill, which seeks to promote mediation and provide for enforcement of the settlement agreements, can bring a transformational change in the justice delivery system in India.

"The Centre's mediation bill has been referred to the parliamentary standing committee on Law and Justice. It is taking a very good shape, and all the stakeholders including the sitting and retired judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts as well as some legal firms have given inputs on this bill," the Union law minister said. He was speaking at the inaugural function of a two-day national conference on mediation and information technology organised near the Statue of Unity at Kevadia in Gujarat's Narmada district.

"I am sure that once this bill comes back to the government, we will push it through with all necessary inputs as well as necessary amendments, to make it very, very comprehensive," Rijiju said. President Ram Nath Kovind, Chief Justice of India N V Ramana, Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Gujarat High Court chief justice Aravind Kumar are prominent dignitaries attending the conference. "I can assure you that this piece of legislation can bring a transformational change in the justice delivery system in our country," Rijiju added.

Addressing the gathering, Governor Devvrat said the Parliament, government and judiciary are the most important pillars of democracy. "The judiciary is the centre of trust and faith for all. People fall back on the institution to seek justice. The nation can reach a new height of development if the government and judiciary work in harmony and with integrity," the governor said. Gujarat HC chief justice Aravind Kumar said that mediation is "the most simple, convenient and cost-effective ADR mechanism."

"The district judiciary, which is the interface of our justice delivery system, has the opportunity and potential to play a prominent role in this regard," Justice Kumar said. Chief Minister Patel said Vallabhbhai Patel is a symbol of India's unity and integrity and is a leading example of mediation in the merger of 562 princely states, large and small, after Independence. "Even in our Sanatan culture, the tradition of such mediation has existed for centuries. This tradition is then becoming relevant in the current justice system," the CM added.

PTI