Early Times Report
JAMMU, Nov 30: Under the patronage of Chief Justice, High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, Arun Palli, the Mediation and Conciliation Committee of the High Court of J&K and Ladakh, in collaboration with the J&K Legal Services Authority and the J&K Judicial Academy, today organised one day Interactive Roleplay Mediation Training Programmes, conducted simultaneously at the Jammu and Srinagar wings of the J&K Judicial Academy.
The event was part of the on-going 40 hours Mediation Training Programme for the Judicial Officers.
This training programme, held under the aegis of the Mediation and Conciliation Project Committee (MCPC), forms a significant component of the continued efforts of the High Court to strengthen the Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) framework across both Union Territories.
The workshop in Jammu was held under the overall supervision of Naseer Ahmad Dar, Director, J&K Judicial Academy while the Srinagar programme was supervised by Shazia Tabassum, Member Secretary, J&K Legal Services Authority.
At the Jammu wing of J&K Judicial Academy, the programme began with the welcome address by Naseer Ahmad Dar, Director, J&K Judicial Academy. He underscored the importance of mediation as an essential tool for strengthening the justice delivery system. He emphasized that practical, simulation-based training is vital for enabling the officers to internalize mediation techniques, communication strategies and neutral facilitation skills.
He welcomed Balbir Kour Gandhi, an experienced mediation trainer, expressing confidence that her expertise would greatly contribute to the effectiveness of the day's training. He encouraged the participants to actively engage with the roleplay exercises and make full use of the opportunity to refine their mediation competencies.
In Srinagar wing of J&K Judicial Academy, the programme opened with welcoming remarks by Shazia Tabassum, Member Secretary, J&K Legal Services Authority. She highlighted the sustained efforts being made to strengthen the mediation services across the Union Territory. She noted that J&K has recently completed online training modules focusing on key principles, techniques and the evolving framework of court-annexed and community mediation. She also introduced the resource person, Puneeta Sethi, describing her long-standing association with the Mediation and Conciliation Project Committee (MCPC) of the Supreme Court of India.
At the Jammu campus, the day-long training consisted of three roleplay-based mediation sessions conducted by BalbirKour Gandhi, an experienced mediation trainer.
The first session focused on foundational mediation communication techniques, managing parties in conflict and adopting a neutral, facilitative approach. The participants engaged in guided simulations followed by reflective discussion.
The second session centred on exploring interests behind stated positions, managing emotions, breaking deadlocks and maintaining process control. The officers practised multiple mediation interventions through structured exercises.
The last and third session III addressed the advanced mediation scenarios, including multi-party disputes, caucusing, impasse-breaking methods and structured settlement facilitation.
The officers from various districts of Jammu division participated, including Chief Judicial Magistrates, Sub Judges, Munsiffs and Secretaries of District Legal Services Authorities. |
