Islamabad (Anantnag), Mar 24: Admitting that thousands of cases were pending in the courts for years together, the Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir, Justice Aftab Hussain Saikia, Thursday said that mediation would help resolve the cases in a short span of time.
 Addressing lawyers in the district court complex here after laying the foundation stone of Alternate Dispute Resolution (ARD) Center, Justice Aftab said, “Sometimes the normal legal course is cumbersome as it consumes not only energy but money and time also. So the concept of mediation will go a long way in solving those cases within a stipulated time frame.”
 Justice Aftab said that the Mediation Cell will also provide relief to the poor people who can’t afford money for filing litigations and adopt a legal course to solve their cases.
 “In the mediation centre the two parties will be persuaded for entering into negotiation for outside court settlement to solve their issue besides clearing the back logs,” said the Chief Justice.
 However, he made it clear that in no way a judgment would be imposed on the parties.
 He informed the gathering that Islamabad district court was the fourth in the state after Srinagar, Jammu and Kathua and second only in the valley where the mediation cell has been established.
 Appreciating the contribution of Islamabad Bar, Justice Aftab said, “The Islamabad Bar has produced many legal luminaries whose contribution is unparalleled.”
 Others who spoke on the occasion included Justice Kalifullah, Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir, who is also the chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Mediation Cell, and Justice Muzzafar Ahmad Attar. District and Session Judge Islamabad, Fida Hussain, Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Islamabad, Jeema Bashir, Munsif Judge, Muhammad Ashraf and Islamabad Bar Association President, Advocate Fayaz Ahmad Saudagar, also spoke on the occasion.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 24 Mar 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 24 Mar 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 25 Mar 2011 00:00:00 IST