Pre-litigation mediation to save time, cut court cases, says law minister

Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md Asaduzzaman on Tuesday said that resolving disputes through mediation before filing cases would save litigants time and money, reduce suffering and help curb the growing number of cases filed in courts.
The minister came up with the remarks after virtually inaugurating a mandatory pre-litigation mediation programme in Thakurgaon as part of a pilot initiative to reduce case backlogs and ease pressure on the judiciary.
Thakurgaon District Legal Aid Office organised the event at the conference room of the Thakurgaon District and Sessions Judge's Court, chaired by District and Sessions Judge and Chairman of the District Legal Aid Committee, Md Jamal Hossain.
The minister said mediation conducted through special mediators in 20 districts under the Legal Aid programme had already produced encouraging results in seven categories of disputes covered by the law.
According to him, 11,280 cases involving family matters, rent control, partition, pre-emption, parental maintenance and dowry disputes were filed between February and May last year. During the same period this year, the number dropped to 4,284, marking a 62.02% decline in new case filings.
Asaduzzaman said the government plans to introduce mandatory pre-litigation mediation in all districts across the country in phases over the next six months and sought cooperation from judges, lawyers, government officials, litigants and the media to ensure the programme's success.
Among others, Chief Judicial Magistrate Lutfar Rahman, Land Survey Tribunal Judge Rafiqul Bari, Joint District and Sessions Judge Sadia Afrina Rima, Senior Assistant Judge Subrata Mallick, Judicial Magistrate Tahmidur Rahman, Civil Judge Mahmudul Islam Munna, Thakurgaon District Bar Association President Advocate Yusuf Ali, General Secretary Advocate Sheikh Farid, members of the District Legal Aid Committee and journalists attended the programme.