Guwahati, Feb 18 (PTI) Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today emphasized the need to settle disputes through mediation which was not a new concept in the judicial system. Addressing a conference on "Mediation - A Win-Win Model of Dispute Resolution" here, Gogoi explained that the system of mediation existed since early times and was reinforced by Assam's spiritual and social reformer Sankardeva. Village Councils were still dispensing socially acceptable justice at their local levels at various places of the region through mediation and in modern times it was necessary in the dispensation of justice which would speed up the present system of litigation. Gauhati High Court Chief Justice A K Goel said that speedy resolution was the mandate of the Constitution of India and mediation was originally an Indian concept but disputes started rising in the country with the rise in human selfishness. He also explained that mediation could be mutually satisfactory for both the parties, was least expensive and least time taking. As a process of resolution of conflict, mediation provided a cure to the constant litigations among friends, family members and members of the society, he added. The conference was attended among others by representatives of Village Councils of the North Eastern states, law students and invitees from various other organisations participated in the conference. The Chief Minister also formally launched the website of the Gauhati High Court Mediation Centre.
