Kerala High Court To Consider Validity Of 55-Yrs Upper Age Eligibility Criteria For Mediators

The Kerala High Court is set to consider the validity of a maximum age limit of 55 years as an essential qualification for applying to the position of mediators in mediation centres. The case involves a petitioner, an advocate aged 58, challenging the age limit prescribed by the Kerala State Mediation and Conciliation Centre. The petitioner argued that the age limit is not stipulated in the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Rules, 2008, which only require a minimum of 15 years of standing at the Bar. The court observed that while employers have the discretion to set benchmarks for selection, the inclusion of a maximum age limit as an eligibility criterion warrants detailed consideration. The court declined to stay the notification but scheduled a hearing to examine the matter further. This case raises important questions about age discrimination and the criteria for selecting mediators in legal proceedings.