Mediation Must Move Out Of Elite Legal Spaces: Former CJI BR Gavai

This article focuses on former Chief Justice BR Gavai’s remarks that mediation must be expanded beyond elite legal circles and made accessible to ordinary litigants. It explains how mediation, as a form of alternative dispute resolution, can reduce court backlog, lower litigation costs, and promote consensual settlements. The report discusses existing barriers such as lack of awareness, limited infrastructure, and concentration of mediation in urban and high-value commercial disputes. It highlights calls for institutional reforms, training of mediators, community-based mediation centres, and policy support to integrate mediation at grassroots levels. The article places these views within the broader context of judicial reform and access to justice, emphasizing that democratizing mediation can strengthen public trust in the justice system and provide faster, less adversarial remedies for civil, family, and commercial disputes.