Extend mediation to panchayats for conflict resolution in rural areas: President Murmu

Noting that mediation is an essential part of justice delivery, President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday advocated extending it to Panchayats for conflict resolution in rural areas.

Addressing the First National Mediation Conference 2025 here, the President said, “The dispute resolution mechanism under the Mediation Act, 2023 should be effectively extended to rural areas so that the Panchayats are legally empowered to mediate and resolve the conflicts in villages.”

“Social harmony in villages is an essential prerequisite of making the nation strong,” she said at the Conference also witnessed the launch of the Mediation Association of India

Maintaining that India has a long and rich tradition of judicial mechanisms in which out-of-court settlements were more of a norm than exception, the President said, “The institution of Panchayat is legendary for fostering amicable resolutions. The Panchayat’s endeavour was not only to resolve the dispute but also to remove any bitterness among the parties about it.”

The event was attended by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, CJI-designate BR Gavai, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, Attorney General R Venkataramani and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, judges and lawyers.

Stating that between 2016 and early 2025, a staggering 7.57 lakh cases were settled through mediation, CJI Khanna called for efforts to make people understand that mediation was not a “lesser” form of justice but rather a wise form of it. “Yet, I must acknowledge, mediation is yet to reach the villages. Our goal must be to show every litigant, every citizen, every businessman, every person, that mediation is not a lesser form of justice but a wiser form of it,” the CJI said.

Describing Panchayats as “a pillar of social harmony for us”, Murmu lamented that “Unfortunately, the colonial rulers ignored this exemplary legacy when they imposed an alien legal system on us. While the new system did have a provision for mediation and out-of-court resolution, and the old tradition of alternative mechanisms did continue, there was no institutional framework for it.”

She said, “The Mediation Act, 2023 plugs that loophole and has a number of provisions that will form the foundation of a vibrant and effective mediation ecosystem in India.”

Murmu said, “Mediation can speed up the delivery of justice not only in the specific case under consideration, but also in other cases, by reducing the burden on courts of a large number of litigations. It can make the overall judicial system much more efficient”

Noting that mediation can thus open up the developmental pathways that might have been blocked up, the President said, “It can enhance both the ease of doing business and the ease of living. Mediation—when we see it this way, becomes a key instrument to realise the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047.”

Hailing the establishment of the Mediation Association of India as a significant step forward in carrying India’s legacy into the future, she called for building professional capabilities and making mediation accessible to every citizen, across all sections of society.

“It institutionalizes and promotes mediation as a preferred, structured, and widely accessible mode of dispute resolution — an approach that is timely and much needed in today’s dynamic and complex world,” she said.

The President said “we should see effective dispute and conflict resolution as not merely a legal necessity but a societal imperative. Mediation fosters dialogue, understanding and collaboration. These values are essential for building a harmonious and progressive nation. It will lead to the emergence of a conflict-resilient, inclusive and harmonious society.”

India