Jain group takes up task of bringing down litigation

In order to aid the disposal of cases under the Arbitrator and Conciliator Act, 1996, an NGO, International Settlement Forum (ISF), will be launched in a fortnight registered under the Societies Act.Under the act, all non-penal cases like family disputes, civil disputes, property disputes, and company cases that remain unresolved for years, can be settled by the help of arbitration. Though figures are not available, over the years, cases have stagnated and courts slot a particular day to ensure their speedy disposal.“There is a huge backlog. The idea is to give speedier justice keeping integrity in mind, and at a cheaper rate,” said Nagpur-based advocate Ramesh Darda, who is the secretary general of ISF. ISF will be launched in six centres — Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Pune.The NGO will have two functional parts: The governing council and the screening committee. The council will have retired Supreme Court judge MB Shah as its chairman and a nine-member panel of advocates and retired judges. They will receive disputes and then forward it to the screening committee. The governing council will comprise of members only from the Jain community, who will work on no-profit no-loss basis. The committee will be headed by former chief justice of Punjab and Haryana high court Vijendra Jain, under whom arbitrators, mediators, and conciliators will be appointed. They will be professionals from any community. They would work for a fee and ensure timely disposal of cases.