Overview

• The Second National Mediation Conference opened in Bhubaneswar with CJI B. R. Gavai calling for collective, sustained adoption of mediation across society.
• Gavai noted that the Mediation Act, 2023 gives formal recognition to the practice and said it can deliver participatory justice while easing court backlogs.
• He highlighted community mediation under Section 43 and proposed simple training in regional languages so citizens can resolve local disputes constructively.
• Conference sessions focus on implementing the law, sector-specific use in areas such as corporate governance and healthcare, pre‑litigation mediation, and standards for accreditation.
• Justice Surya Kant described mediation as “subtracting bitterness” and cited the Supreme Court’s recent ‘Mediation for the Nation’ 90‑day campaign as an example of practical outreach.