India Mediation Campaign, Objectives, Process and Significance

Context: A pan-India mediation campaign titled ‘Mediation for the Nation’ will be launched on 1st July 2025 and will continue till September 30, 2025.

90-Day Pan India Mediation Campaign

About India Mediation Campaign

India Mediation Campaign is a major national effort to popularise and use mediation as the first choice for resolving disputes, especially to clear India’s huge backlog of cases in its judicial system. The most notable recent activity is the “Mediation for the Nation” campaign, which is being initiated by the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) and the Supreme Court’s Mediation and Conciliation Project Committee (MCPC).

Launch and Duration: The 90-day pan-India “Mediation for the Nation” campaign will be launched on July 1, 2025, and will run through September 30, 2025.

Objectives

• Decrease Case Pendency: One of the major objectives is to resolve a vast majority of admissible cases pending in courts at all levels, ranging from Taluka Courts to High Courts.
• Promote Mediation: To make mediation popular as a “people-friendly, cost-effective, and speedy” process of resolving disputes.
• Save Relationships: Highlight mediation’s capability to help retain relationships, time, and money, in contrast to adversarial litigation.
• Reach Every Corner: To spread mediation awareness and services to all corners of the nation.

Direction: The campaign is being thought through and directed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai and Justice Surya Kant, who is also the Executive Chairman of NALSA and MCPC.

Eligible Cases: Various categories of cases are being identified to be taken up for mediation, such as:

• Matrimonial disputes
• Accident and insurance claims
• Domestic violence cases
• Cheque bounce cases
• Commercial and consumer disputes
• Service-related disputes
• Negotiable criminal cases (compoundable offences)
• Partition suits, land acquisition matters, and eviction cases
• Debt recovery cases

Process

• Identification of cases: Between July 1 and July 31, 2025, courts will place admissible cases under a special heading, “for referral to special mediation drive.”
• Referral: Where a case is suitable for settlement, the same will be referred for mediation.
• Mediators: All current mediators, including those freshly trained (who have undergone the necessary 40 hours of mediation training), will be engaged in the campaign.
• Flexibility: Mediation sessions can be held physically, over the internet, or in hybrid mode, depending on the convenience of the parties.
• 7-Day Operation: Mediation settlement attempts will be made on all seven days of the week.
• Support: Mediators can take the advice of counsellors or subject matter experts if needed.

Monitoring and Evaluation:

• The Mediation Monitoring Committee of each High Court will monitor the campaign for its respective jurisdiction.
• There will be regular reports submitted regarding referred and disposed cases.
• A report will be finalized by October 6, 2025.
• The National Judicial Academy, Bhopal, in collaboration with chosen National Law Universities, will carry out a thorough study to assess the impact, effectiveness, and learnings of the campaign.

Context of Mediation in India at Large

The “Mediation for the Nation” campaign is the direct result of India’s growing emphasis on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms. This momentum has been further reinforced by the passage of the Mediation Act, 2023.

Major aspects of the Mediation Act, 2023, pertinent to this campaign:

• Legal Framework: Offers a complete legal framework for mediation that spans from the composition of the mediation panels to the enforcement of mediated settlement agreements.
• Mandatory Pre-litigation Mediation: The Act makes pre-litigation mediation mandatory in civil and commercial matters before going to courts (though with some exceptions for the grant of urgent interim relief). This is a progressive measure to lighten the court burden.
• Recognition of Online Mediation: Legally recognises online mediation as a valid and economical method of resolving disputes.
• Enforceability: Settlement agreements arrived at through mediation, upon authentication by the mediator, become binding and enforceable as a court decree.
• Time-bound Process: Establishes deadlines for completion of mediation, facilitating effective resolution.

This all-India campaign, in combination with the new Mediation Act, represents India’s firm pledge to radically alter its dispute resolution scene by encouraging mediation as an integral and effective means of justice delivery.

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