Center of Excellence on Alternative Dispute Resolution (CADR), School of Law, MRU recently organized a webinar on the Relevance of the New Mediation Bill.

The Guest Speaker was Ms. Sakshi Vijay, Assistant Professor, Jindal Global Law School. Ms. Vijay, an ILS Pune graduate, did her Master’s in International Disputes Resolutions from the University of Melbourne, Australia. Trained as a Mediator in Australia and a Tribunal Secretary in Hong Kong, she is an accredited mediator and the Joint Secretary of Maadhyam, Council for Conflict Resolution.

Having made representation at the Rajya Sabha before the Parliamentary Committee for amendments to the Mediation Bill, 2021, Ms. Vijay was welcomed by Prof. Versha Vahini, Associate Dean, School of Law. After opening remarks by Mr. Bharatendu Agarwal, Assistant Professor, School of Law, Ms. Vijay dived into the background and importance of the new mediation bill.

She shared that the Mediation Bill, 2021, was introduced in Rajya Sabha on December 20, 2021. The Bill seeks to promote mediation (including online mediation) and provide for enforcement of settlement agreements resulting from mediation. Key features of the Bill discussed included – applicability, pre-litigation mediation, disputes not fit for mediation, mediation process, mediators, mediation council of India, mediated settlement agreement, community mediation, and interface with other laws.

Prof. S.K. Bose, Associate Professor, School of Law, closed the event with a vote of gratitude to Ms. Vijay after an entertaining hour-long discussion and question-and-answer session.