Team Herald
MARGAO: In a bid to help peacefully resolve litigation outside of the courtroom and ease the backlog of cases awaiting court hearings, the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa, in collaboration with the Supreme Court's Mediation and Conciliation Project Committee, successfully trained 30 advocates from South Goa to serve as mediators for the amicable resolution of legal disputes.
These newly trained mediators will act as neutral negotiators, helping disputing parties reach mutually acceptable settlements. During the event, Justice Bharat Deshpande, Judge of the High Court of Bombay at Goa, emphasised the growing public faith in the judiciary, noting the increasing number of cases being filed. He highlighted mediation as an effective method for resolving some of these cases and shared his perspective that both judges and mediators must be good listeners to truly understand the concerns of the litigants.
Advocate Prasad Naik, President of the South Goa Advocates Association, expressed gratitude to Advocate Sangram Dessai, a member of the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa, for facilitating the first mediation training programme in Goa. Naik praised mediation as a "win-win" solution where both parties can achieve a satisfactory outcome, unlike traditional court litigation, where one side inevitably loses.
The programme, hosted by advocate Pritam Morais, saw expert trainers Vijaykumar and Brindha Nandkumar lead the mediation training sessions. Advocates Tina Xavier, Vivekanand Sukhthankar, and Eric Correia also shared their experiences as newly trained mediators.