Plea seeking compulsory pre-litigation mediation: Solicitor General to inform SC in one week

The Supreme Court on Friday allowed the Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta to apprise it within a week's time with regard to a PIL filed by the Youth Bar Association of India (YBAI), seeking compulsory pre-litigation mediation, as the plea has said that mundane routine matters take up most of the court's time.

The SG Mehta today pleaded before the Apex Court that he be given 3-4 days' time to respond to the petition filed by YBAI.

The YBAI has filed the PIL before the Supreme Court seeking appropriate directions and or orders to the concerned authorities to make compulsory pre-litigation mediation in those cases, which are possible to conduct.

The plea has said that mundane routine matters take up most of the Court's time, and thereby a policy can be created to speed up hearings.

The Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sharad Arvind Bobde, observed during the course of the hearing, "We heard that the Parliament is considering bringing some sort of legislation on the issue of pre-litigation mediation cases."

To this, the SG Mehta sought 3-4 days, to respond to the petition. CJI Bobde fixed next Thursday as the date of hearing in the petition.

The petitioner, YBAI sought the Apex Court's direction to the respondent, including the Union of India (UOI) to consider mandatory 'Pre-Litigation Mediation' and to take appropriate measures to provide for mandatory 'Pre-litigation mediation.'

The petitioner, YBAI, sought the issuance of guidelines or formulate a Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) so as to give immediate effect to the functioning of 'Pre-Litigation Mediation'.

The petitioner, YBAI, sought to direct the parties in a certain type of non-urgent matters such as commercial cases, partition suits, probation petitions and such other categories as this court may deem fit.

The petitioner, YBAI, further sought a direction from the SC to first exhaust mandatory pre-litigation mediation at a court-annexed mediation centre or such other centre as this Court may deem fit.

( With inputs from ANI )