The Supreme Court of India has set up a panel to firm up a draft legislation to give legal sanctity to disputes settled through mediation, which would then be sent to the government as a suggestion from the apex court.
The panel, to be headed by mediator Niranjan Bhat, will recommend a code of conduct for mediators, who are legal experts. On January 12, the committee met in Hyderabad to consider suggestions for a legislation put forth by mediators from all over India. The mediators emphasised on confidentiality, the voluntary nature of the process, neutrality, avoiding conflicts of interest, enforceability of settlement etc.
The committee has roped in international experts on mediation, which includes Hiro Aragaki and Joel Lee, who are experts on alternative dispute resolution (ADR).
Read more about this on the Economic Times here.