Shillong, Mar 16: Meghalaya High Court Chief Justice Revati Mohite Dere emphasised the growing need for mediation as a practical approach to resolving conflicts.
Addressing a seminar on “Mediation: Concepts and Techniques” here today, Dere pointed out that mediation enables parties in conflict, whether from workplaces, families, or communities, to engage in meaningful dialogue and arrive at mutually beneficial solutions. Rather than relying on traditional litigation, which can be costly and adversarial, mediation promotes understanding and communication.
The Chief Justice stressed that mediators must exercise patience, neutrality, and effective communication skills to facilitate consensus. “The objective of a mediator should always be to build bridges and not walls,” she remarked.
Highlighting Meghalaya’s social fabric, Justice Dere said traditional dispute resolution mechanisms already exist within communities such as the Khasi, Jaintia, and Garo, where family elders and respected clan members often intervene to settle disputes related to marriage, inheritance, and family responsibilities.
At the village level, institutions such as the Dorbar Shnong in the Khasi and Jaintia Hills frequently mediate minor civil disputes, including land boundary issues and neighbourhood conflicts, through dialogue and consensus. In the Garo Hills, the village head known as the Nokma plays a key role in resolving disputes and safeguarding clan land and community interests.
She also referred to higher customary governance institutions such as the Dorbar Raid and Dorbar Hima, which function as forums for dispute resolution when issues cannot be settled at the village level, emphasising reconciliation and community harmony.
She added that the Meghalaya State Legal Services Authority is implementing the project “Increasing Access to Justice through Community Mediation,” funded by the Department of Justice, to enhance grassroots dispute resolution. The initiative includes training and sensitisation programmes for headmen, Nokmas, and community leaders in mediation techniques, legal literacy, and customary laws.
Justice Hamarsan Thangkhiew called upon lawyers and stakeholders to advocate for mediation initiatives, noting that Meghalaya is taking a pioneering step with its community mediation pilot project.
He also pointed out that Meghalaya has launched a community mediation pilot project supported by the Department of Justice, making it one of the first states in the country to implement such an initiative. The project involves research, surveys, and training programmes aimed at strengthening community-level mediation and reducing the burden of litigation in courts.
The seminar was organised by the Meghalaya State Legal Services Authority, in association with the Department of Justice and the High Court Mediation Committee, which is part of the project, “Increasing Access to Justice Through Community Mediation” funded by the Department of Justice.
The aim is to enhance community-level dispute resolution mechanisms.
Among those present at the program were judges of the Meghalaya High Court, including Justice Wanlura Diengdoh and Justice Biswadeep Bhattacharjee, along with rangbah shnongs, lawyers, government officials, and other stakeholders.
The programme also featured presentations by Dr Aman Hingorani, Senior Advocate at the Supreme Court of India and Senior Trainer with the Mediation and Conciliation Project Committee, and J. P. Singh, Senior Advocate at the Supreme Court of India.
