Justice J Chelameswar seeks changes in alternate dispute resolution

Justice J Chelameswar

Justice J Chelameswar, the seniormost judge after the Chief Justice of India, has called for changes to the Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) system for it to succeed. He mentioned this Sunday while addressing a conclave on Alternative Dispute Resolution: Mapping the Challenges in India.

“I have a dubious distinction on ADR. By virtue of my present post, being the seniormost judge of the (Supreme) Court next to the Chief Justice, traditionally the slot to assume the National Executive Chairmanship of (National) Legal Services Authority (was offered to me) which I declined…. Not because I do not subscribe to the ADR, but believe that if ADR is to succeed… the mechanism for the implementation… must be totally different from the existing legal system.”

He said: “If the parties agree upon some adjudication mechanism… after the adjudication is over, challenging the adjudication once again on the same rules… would not really help the ADR system.”