The 90-day special mediation campaign titled ‘Mediation — For the Nation,’ which began on July 1 for providing speedy resolution to the large number of pending civil cases in courts across the country, will be held in the State till September 30.

The campaign is being organised by the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) and the Mediation and Conciliation Project Committee (MCPC)

The mediation campaign is about settling cases outside courts through amicable discussions between the parties involved. The cases include a wide range of disputes such as family conflicts, bank loan defaults, motor accident claims, cheque bounce cases, service-related disputes, domestic violence cases, commercial disputes, property disputes, eviction suits, land acquisition matters, consumer complaints, and other suitable civil cases.

Provision of free mediation services and refund of court fee upon successful settlement are the highlights of the mediation process. The parties in conflict can also choose online mediation facilities. In Kerala, over 700 trained lawyers and judicial officers are actively involved in leading these mediation activities.

The ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) Centres at the Kerala High Court and at district and sub-division levels are providing operational support for this campaign. There are 78 ADR centres currently functioning across the State under the Kerala State Mediation and Conciliation Centre.

As part of a similar campaign being held in Kerala since last January, 11,200 long-pending cases in the State had been referred to the ADR Centres in courts, out of which 2,113 cases were successfully settled through mediation.