Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Chie Justice of India Justice Surya Kant has said that lasting peace is achieved through dialogue rather than prolonged litigation.
Inaugurating the Commonwealth Peace Mediation and Rule of Law Conference, attended by delegates from 52 Commonwealth countries, in Jaipur recently, CJI Surya Kant added that mediation provides a platform where every voice is heard and no individual or group dominates another.
CJI Surya Kant said Jaipur’s foundation was rooted in the ideals of social harmony and inclusive governance, making it a fitting host for a global dialogue on peace mediation.
“When I was preparing my remarks, I came across an interesting fact about the city of Jaipur. The city was designed on the principles of harmony, balance, and proportion. Its planners ensured that no single part of the city would overwhelm another. Every street, every square, and every public space was conceived as part of a larger, coherent whole.
Recalling India’s long tradition of community-based dispute resolution, he said that long before the formal legal system evolved, village disputes were resolved through Gram Panchayats.
I cannot imagine a more fitting venue for a convention on peace, mediation, and the rule of law,” he said, adding, “For that is precisely what mediation teaches us, that no single voice, however powerful, should be allowed to overwhelm another. Every voice deserves to be heard, every perspective deserves consideration, and every participant deserves dignity. Mediation is, at its core, an exercise in restoring balance.”
“Friends, we have assembled here to deliberate on a theme that, at first glance, may appear paradoxical: Peace, Mediation and the Rule of Law. This conference seeks to correct a long-held assumption that peace and the rule of law belong to different worlds. They do not. Peace is not merely the absence of conflict, nor is it the absence of law. Peace is the law’s finest achievement, the CJI said.
Recalling India’s long tradition of community-based dispute resolution, he said that long before the formal legal system evolved, village disputes were resolved through Gram Panchayats. “Those who mediated disputes in villages were not merely arbitrators; they were also community leaders entrusted with maintaining harmony and guiding society,” he added.
Speaking at the inaugural session, Acting Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma said that Rajasthan has emerged as a leader in alternative dispute resolution, ranking second in the country in resolving cases through mediation.
He said the vision of the Chief Justice of India Surya Kant is to use mediation as an instrument to strengthen social harmony and public trust in the justice system. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said India’s civilisational ethos has always favoured dialogue before confrontation.
