Addressing the India-Singapore Mediation Summit in the presence of Chief Justice of Singapore Sundaresh Menon, Chief Justice of India NV Ramana said on Saturday that Indian epic Mahabharata provided an early example of an attempt at mediation. 

He said, "The great Indian epic, the Mahabharata, actually provides an example of an early attempt at mediation as a conflict resolution tool, where Lord Krishna attempted to mediate the dispute between the Pandavas and Kauravas. Mediation is deeply embedded in Indian ethos. Long before British arrived, disputes were often resolved by Chieftains or elders."

The CJI then took a stand against the statistics that shows cases without a verdict piling up in the judicial system. His argument was that the numbers are not accurate and are often taken out of context. He said, "Need for mediation arises from judicial delays. It is often stated that there are 45 million pending cases and it's said because courts cannot handle it. It is an uncharitable analysis." He argues that recently filed cases are also added to the statistics and that cannot accurately indicate the performance of a judicial system. He even says that the involved parties file several suits to delay the judiciary process and that is not a problem just in India.

Chief Justice N.V. Ramana was speaking at the India - Singapore Mediation Summit 2021, organised by Singapore International Mediation Centre (SIMC), in strategic partnership with CAMP Mediation, and Mediation Mantras.

Read a full report, via Republic World, here.