Haryana Legal Services Authority Launches Virtual Platform For Online Mediation

 Mrs. Justice Daya Chaudhary, Judge, Punjab and Haryana High Court and Executive Chairperson, Haryana State Legal Services Authority launched online Mediation through virtual platform across the State of Haryana on 19th October, 2020 by releasing Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) prepared for online mediation comprising of various steps required to be taken for successful mediation across the State. The purpose of online Mediation is to grant relief to litigating parties by giving them opportunity to settle their disputes with the help of trained Mediators who help the parties to arrive at mutual agreed solution and bring the litigant to an end.

On this occasion, she addressed the gathering comprised of Shri Parmod Goyal, District & Sessions Judge-cum-Member Secretary, Haryana State Legal Services Authority (HALSA), District & Sessions Judges-cum-Chairpersons, District Legal Services Authorities (DLSAs), Chief Judicial Magistrates-cum-Secretaries, DLSAs, Judges Mediators, Advocate Mediators, Panel Advocates, Para Legal Volunteers, Court staff and DLSAs staff and shared her valuable views and experiences with them. Lordship stated that one of the major activities of Legal Services Authorities is to provide free and competent legal aid to the weaker and marginalized sections of our society as per provisions of Section 12 to be read with Rule 19 of Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 as per their entitlements. Lok Adalats are organized to ensure and to promote justice on the basis of equal opportunity for settlement of disputes through Mediation & Conciliation. Purpose is also to hold awareness camps, seminars and other programmes through Panel Lawyers and PLVs. People are connecting with various Schemes of Centre/State Governments and they are getting benefits as per their entitlements. They are also made aware about the socio-economic issues such as child marriage, bonded labour, dowry, human trafficking, drug addiction, cyber crime etc. People are taking benefits of Schemes started by HALSA. The High Powered Committee constituted under the order dated 23.03.2020 of the Supreme Court of India, has released convicts/undertrials on parole/bail from different jails of Haryana. Various steps for safety of inmates were also taken such as setting up of special jails for lodging all new prisoners; exclusive jail for covid patients – jail inmates; expeditious covid test and reports; strict quarantine protocols for inmates and staff; appearance of inmates through video conferencing.

She also shared that COVID-19 has affected the working of courts across the nation which led to great inconvenience to the parties/litigants in getting justice and settling of their cases through alternate redressal mechanisms such as Lok Adalats, Mediations, Arbitrations etc. Since Mediation required presence of parties for the conciliation process, therefore, in view of COVID-19, mediation proceedings were affected. With successful organization of e-Lok Adalat on 18.09.2020 and subsequent start of Daily e-Lok Adalats in Haryana, it has been decided to restart the mediation effectively by start of online Mediation. Online Mediation shall help parties to settle their disputes amicably. This process is more convenient and cost efficient than face to face meetings in order to negotiate, mediate or otherwise resolve existing disputes. The online Mediation will be conducted in all the 22 Districts and 33 Sub Divisions of Haryana where parties will get connected with the Mediator Advocates through video conferencing and the whole mediation proceedings will be kept confidential.

There are total 283 Trained Advocate Mediators and 202 Judicial Mediators in Haryana. The Mediation & Conciliation Centres have been opened in all the Districts of Haryana.

HALSA is organizing regular 40 Hours and 20 Hours Mediation Training Programmes to train Mediators.

Pre-litigation Desk have been set up in all the Mediation Centers of Haryana to deal with matrimonial disputes, before they reach the Court. 14,023 cases were referred to these Desks and out of, 13,529 cases were settled from 2013 to September, 2020.

In 2019-2020, total 3,312 cases were settled through Mediation across the Haryana. This is not merely a figure of 3,312 cases, it is about 10,000 cases which may exclude appeals and allied litigation to be filed by the parties before the court in connection with their cases which settled through Mediation.