ADR meet in Kolkata today

ICADR said here that globalisation and liberalization of the economy simultaneously calls for proportionate reform in the legal system, and it is in this context that the concept of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) had become important.

The 3- tier judicial system in India was overburdened by the massive demands for justice, resulting in huge backlog of cases at every level of the judicial system.

ADR mechanism was arguably swifter, less expensive, more effective, and perhaps the only other alternative. ICADR aimed to improve upon the existing ADR system, practice and procedure.

If effectively implemented, ADR, including arbitration, mediation, conciliation, negotiation and expert determination, had the potential to be the best alternative to the general and tedious process of litigation which has been often summarized as "a modern ordeal".

ICADR was organizing a seminar with jurists to strengthen ADR in India, like Justice Surinder Singh Nijjar, Chief Justice, Calcutta High Court, Justice Kalyan Jyoti Sengupta of Calcutta High Court, Justice Vashisht (Retd.) Judge of Punjab & Haryana High Court, as well as Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, advocate and Mayor of Kolkata, Nishith Nandan Adhikary, former state law minister and now additional advocate general of West Bengal, Jayanta Mitra, senior advocate at Calcutta High Court, N L Mitra, advisor of Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law at IIT Kharagpur, Dr. Sayeed Ahmed, representative of the World Bank, and advocates Suman Khaitan and Niloy Pyne.