Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant on Friday highlighted the transformative potential of mediation, describing it as the future of justice delivery and asserting that India possesses the legislative, institutional and technological foundations to emerge as a global leader in alternative dispute resolution (ADR).
Addressing the inaugural session of the International ADR Conference 2026, organised by the Maadhyam International Council for Conflict Resolution in New Delhi, the Chief Justice urged judges, lawyers, policymakers and mediation professionals to work collectively towards strengthening India’s ADR ecosystem and establishing the country as a preferred international destination for dispute resolution.
Speaking on the conference theme, “ADR Pathways to Legal Harmony,” the CJI observed that mediation has moved beyond being viewed merely as an alternative to litigation and is increasingly becoming an integral pillar of the justice delivery system. He noted that the growing emphasis on mediation within judicial discourse reflects a fundamental shift in the manner in which justice is conceived and administered.
Illustrating the practical value of consensual dispute resolution, the Chief Justice recalled an experience from his early years at the Bar involving two business partners who had approached the court locked in a commercial dispute. Instead of pursuing adversarial litigation, the parties ultimately resolved their differences through dialogue outside the courtroom and drafted mutually acceptable settlement terms. The episode, he said, demonstrated that mediation enables parties to preserve relationships while crafting solutions that no judicial decree could effectively replicate.
The CJI emphasised that mediation derives its strength from party autonomy rather than adjudication. Referring to empirical studies, he observed that mediated settlements record significantly higher levels of voluntary compliance than outcomes secured through conventional adjudicatory processes, making mediation both durable and effective as a dispute resolution mechanism.
Drawing a distinction between adversarial litigation and consensual dispute resolution, he said that while courts and arbitral tribunals primarily determine legal rights and liabilities, mediation enables parties to identify practical and mutually acceptable solutions capable of sustaining long-term relationships and commercial confidence.
Highlighting India’s evolving statutory framework, the Chief Justice described the Mediation Act, 2023 as a landmark legislative reform that, for the first time, established a comprehensive legal architecture governing mediation. He noted that the legislation reinforces the principle of party autonomy by permitting disputants to choose both the mediator and the procedure, while according mediated settlement agreements a legal status substantially equivalent to that of a civil court decree.
The Chief Justice further observed that the enactment of the Mediation Act, coupled with the expansion of court-annexed mediation centres, capacity-building initiatives undertaken by judicial academies and the steady development of mediation-oriented jurisprudence, reflects the judiciary’s long-term commitment to institutionalising consensual dispute resolution within the broader justice delivery framework.
Referring to technological advancements, the CJI highlighted the growing significance of Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) platforms and hybrid models such as Med-Arb-Med, observing that digital innovations have considerably enhanced the accessibility, efficiency and enforceability of mediation, particularly in cross-border commercial disputes.
Concluding his address, the Chief Justice called for sustained collaboration among all stakeholders to consolidate India’s ADR ecosystem and expressed confidence that, with continued institutional support and legislative reform, the country is well positioned to emerge as one of the world’s foremost centres for alternative dispute resolution.
The post CJI Surya Kant says India poised to emerge as global ADR leader, calls mediation future of justice delivery appeared first on India Legal.