M.P. State Legal Services Authority Signs MoU With DNLU Jabalpur, Launches Certificate Course On Mediation

The Certificate Course was inaugurated by Justice Vivek Rusia, Acting Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, in the presence of Justice Anand Pathak and Justice Vivek Agarwal.

Addressing the gathering, Justice Vivek Rusia highlighted the transformative role of mediation in reducing court pendency and enabling citizens to resolve disputes through dialogue and consensus. He described the initiative as an important step towards integrating mediation into legal education and everyday dispute resolution.

Justice Anand Pathak emphasised the human dimension of mediation, stating that it preserves relationships and dignity while providing a more humane and lasting approach to justice than adversarial litigation. Justice Vivek Agarwal stressed the need to develop a culture of consensual dispute resolution and encouraged legal professionals to adopt mediation as the preferred method for resolving conflicts.

Prof. (Dr.) Manoj Kumar Sinha, Vice-Chancellor of DNLU, said the University remains committed to equipping legal professionals and students with practical ADR skills and expressed confidence that the programme would create trained mediators capable of serving courts, institutions and communities.

Earlier, Suman Shrivastava, Member Secretary, MPSLSA, welcomed the dignitaries and participants and outlined the objectives of the collaboration, highlighting the role of mediation in making justice more participatory and accessible across Madhya Pradesh.

The MoU was signed by Prof. (Dr.) Manoj Kumar Sinha and Suman Shrivastava in the presence of the dignitaries. According to the authorities, the agreement establishes a collaborative framework for promoting mediation as a community-centric mechanism for peaceful dispute resolution.

The event also featured the presentation of "Canvas of Consensus", a series of paintings prepared by law interns of MPSLSA on the theme of mediation.

The Certificate Course has received formal recognition from the Mediation and Conciliation Project Committee (MCPC) of the Supreme Court of India. It is a 240-hour programme spread over three months, comprising 144 hours of theory, 48 hours of practical training through simulations and role plays, and 48 hours of field exposure, including observation of court-annexed and community mediation proceedings.

A key component of the programme is a 40-hour mediation training module to be conducted by MCPC Trainers and Senior Trainers deputed by the Supreme Court's Mediation and Conciliation Project Committee. The course will be offered in a blended virtual and physical format.

The programme is scheduled to be conducted three times each year, with the first batch commencing in August 2026. It is open to advocates, judicial officers, law students, social workers, NGOs, public servants, administrative officers and other interested participants. Upon successful completion, certificate holders may be empanelled with legal services institutions and participate in mediation proceedings to assist in resolving pending disputes and reducing case pendency.

Among those present on the occasion were Prof. (Dr.) Manoj Kumar Sinha, Vice-Chancellor, DNLU, Jabalpur; Dharmindar Singh, Registrar General, High Court of Madhya Pradesh; Krishnamurthy Mishra, Principal District & Sessions Judge, Jabalpur; Umesh Pandav, Director, MP State Judicial Academy; Arvind Shrivastava, Additional Secretary, MPSLSA; faculty members of DNLU, District Legal Aid Officers and law interns. Principal District & Sessions Judges, Secretaries of District Legal Services Authorities, District Legal Aid Officers, panel lawyers and Legal Aid Defence Counsels from across the State joined the programme virtually.

The session was conducted by Aniruddha Jain, Deputy Secretary, MPSLSA, while Dr. Praveen Tripathi, Registrar, DNLU, proposed the vote of thanks.

The programme was also live-streamed on YouTube, enabling Para Legal Volunteers and other stakeholders associated with District Legal Services Authorities across Madhya Pradesh to participate virtually.