Universally and so also in India, the courts acknowledge the important role being played by mediation. In fact, in many complex commercial cases and domestic cases like divorce, custody etc, court-ordered mediation has become the norm. Most developed nations have turned to mediation as the first-step dispute resolution method. Many trial courts abroad have established parallel mediation programs to try to resolve civil disputes. In fact, in some countries, mediation is mandatory in many cases and a judge may order parties to mediate wherein they are required to appear in at least one session or risk being held in contempt. The results are very encouraging because there is great deal of mutuality in such cases and amicability is a precursor to long term implementation. The workload of the courts has also reduced drastically because of such an approach.
