Department of justice urges to settle disputes via arbitration

NEW DELHI: The department of justice has asked all ministries and government departments to reduce litigation and settle disputes through arbitration or online mediation. In a recent directive, the department has provided a readymade list of at least 13 firms that are involved in out-of-court dispute resolution methods and has advised ministries to take their services.

In a meeting by secretary (justice) last week, the government departments and autonomous bodies were asked to settle disputes through alternate resolution mechanisms. A special emphasis was laid on online mediation. The department also provided a list of 13 firms that would help ministries settle disputes.

These include Assocham International Council of Alternate Dispute Resolution, Bangalore International Mediation, Arbitration and Conciliation Centre, Centre for Advanced Mediation Practice, Construction Industry Arbitration Council, Delhi Dispute Resolution Society, Indian Institute of Arbitration and Mediation.

At present, there are more than 3.14 crore cases pending in various courts and 46% of these involve government departments and autonomous bodies. A senior official told ET: “This is why the department of justice wants to explore options of dispute settlement through alternate methods, like mediation and arbitration.”