The Chanakya Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution, CNLU, Patna, organized its 1st National Mediation Competition in a hybrid manner, with Preliminary and Quarter-final Rounds held virtually on 21st – 22nd January 2023 and Semi-Final and Final Rounds held physically at the CNLU Campus on 11th February 2023.
Updated on Feb 16, 2023
Day 1: Inauguration Ceremony & Preliminary Round 1 – January 21, 2023
The 1st edition of CNLU National Mediation Competition, 2023, was inaugurated in a virtual Inaugural Ceremony on 21st January 2023. The competition is being organised under the aegis of the Chanakya Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution. The Centre aims to develop the ADR culture among students by encouraging them to participate in activities in the field of ADR by organising such competitions. The session was graced by the attendance of the Chief Guest, Mr. Tariq Khan, Registrar IAMC-Hyderabad, Vice-Chancellor of the University, Hon’ble Justice Smt. Mridula Mishra (Retd.), Registrar Manoranjan Prasad Srivastava and other faculty members of the university.
The event commenced at 11 AM with an introductory address by Mr. Hrishikesh Manu, Faculty Co-ordinator of CCADR, wherein he welcomed the hon’ble Vice-chancellor of the University and the Chief Guest for the event. After the welcome address, the student members of the Centre introduced the Centre, its vision and its future initiatives. An address by the Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, CNLU, on the importance of Mediation in the current Indian judicial system followed this. In this address, terming Mediation as the “stepping stone” for Constitutional rights like the right to equality and personal liberty, she elucidated upon the new Mediation Bill of 2021. Following the address by the Vice-Chancellor, the Chief Guest of the ceremony, Mr. Tariq Khan, addressed the participants about the importance of Mediation and how Mediation is the future of dispute settlement. Mr. Khan pointed out that CCADR, with this event, has contributed to the evolution of Mediation as an exercise that is changing the winds in the legal system. Mr. Khan pointed out the importance of the role of Mediators in sustaining societal harmony. He further encouraged the students to start participating in activities relating to ADR at the earliest and wished the Centre the very best in its future endeavours. The session ended with a round of questions from the participants.
The ceremony ended with Vice Chancellor ma’am declaring the competition open. The event was attended by participants from CNLU as well as from students from other universities.
A total of 32 teams from different National Law Universities, other institutions, and law colleges will participate in the competition.
Day 2: Preliminary Round 2 & Quarter Final Round – January 22, 2023
The Second day of the 1st CNLU National Mediation Competition, 2023, began with enthusiastic participation on the part of the Organising Committee of Chanakya Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution as well as the student members and volunteers on 22nd January 2023. The Chanakya Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution, with the objective of inculcating the exercise of Alternative Dispute Resolution within Indian legal studies, has presented this competition as an opportunity for law students nationwide. The Second day was filled with zeal as the competition was being conducted in hybrid mode. Several of the student members and volunteers took to their devices, communicating with participants, judges, and among themselves, for smoothly conducting the competition.
The Second Preliminary Round commenced at 11 AM, with rounds being conducted in more than 15 rooms, joined by 32 teams and judges after an elaborate judge briefing. With the exchange of Confidential information, the teams showcased their mediating skills. We were joined by extremely knowledgeable judges, who imparted their know-how of the field to the participants.
After the extraordinary completion of the Preliminary Rounds, 8 virtuous teams and mediators qualified for the Quarter Finals. The teams and mediators who qualified were from leading institutions like NALSAR University of Law, National Law University, Jodhpur, National Law University Odisha, Jindal Global Law School, SLS Pune, GLC Mumbai, CLC DU, SLS Hyderabad, etc.
The Quarter Finals began from 4 PM after another judge briefing by the student members.
The Quarter Finals concluded, and with that, the Second day ended on a triumphant note with the top 4 qualifying teams and mediators who will be participating further for the Semi-Finals in the physical mode in the campus of Chanakya National Law University, Patna, on 11th February, 2023. Hon’ble Justice Mohit Shah & Hon’ble Justice Dr. Anushman Pandey, Judges of Patna High Court, among others, will grace the event on the said date and judge the final rounds, which would be followed by the valedictory ceremony in the august presence of the Hon’ble Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh, Judge of Patna High Court.
Day 3: Semi-final, Final Round & Valedictory Ceremony [OFFLINE] – February 11, 2023
The Chanakya Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution, CNLU, Patna, organized its 1st National Mediation Competition in a hybrid manner, with Preliminary and Quarter-final Rounds held virtually on 21st – 22nd January 2023 and Semi-Final and Final Rounds held physically at the CNLU Campus on 11th February 2023. The Competition was held in collaboration with associate partners- Singhania & Partners LLP and PSL – Advocates & Solicitors, knowledge partners- International Arbitration and Mediation Centre, Hyderabad, ADR Hoc, YCM India, Mumbai Centre for International Arbitration (MCIA), supporting partner- The Indian Dispute Resolution Centre (IDRC), media partner LatestLaws.com.
The Competition attracted participation from many universities across the country. Saturday, February 11th, 2023, marked the final day of the competition, wherein the qualifying teams arrived at the CNLU campus to mediate and negotiate for the offline rounds. Both the teams and the mediators participated with great enthusiasm and vigour. The session started with the mediators explaining to both parties about the process of mediation and ensuring them about the impartiality and confidentiality of the session. Following this, both parties presented their concerns and issues, hoping for an amicable session. At the end of the session, esteemed judges for the Semi-Final Round Ms. Mahak Rathee, Dr. Pallab Das, Dr. Rajnish Kumar Singh, who had joined the competition in person and Ms. Heather Yee and Mr. Aziz Tayabali, who joined virtually, shared their expertise and valuable feedback with the participants.
The grand finale took place in Conference Hall 1, between the top two qualifying negotiating teams from Maharashtra National Law University, Mumbai and Jindal Global Law School, respectively and the top two qualifying mediators Institute of Law, Nirma University and Government Law College, Mumbai. The Final Round was adjudicated by the renowned judges Hon’ble Mr. Justice Mohit Kumar Shah, Hon’ble Mr. Justice Dr. Anshuman, Mr. Varun Pathak, Ms. Ankit Khushu and Mr. Rama Subramanian.
The valedictory ceremony was graced by the presence of Hon’ble Mr. Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh, acting Chief Justice, Patna High Court and Chancellor of the University as the Chief Guest and Justice Anshuman of the Patna High Court as Guest of Honour. The Vice-Chancellor, Hon’ble Justice Mrs. Mridula Mishra (retd.) of the Patna High Court, addressed the gathering with her usual charm and motivating spirit. She celebrated the inspiration and endeavour of young minds who embraced the novel concept of Alternate Dispute Resolution. The chief guest, Hon’ble Mr. Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh, also shared words of wisdom and encouragement with the audience. He further asked a question to the audience about how the process of mediation begins and explained to them that the primary role of a mediator is to remain neutral and maintain confidentiality. Justice Singh also thanked VC madam and reminisced over their long-standing relationship as his senior. He also emphasized that the success of the process of mediation doesn’t lie in the settlement but in maintaining the purity and integrity of the Mediation process. Guest of honour, Mr. Justice Anshuman, emphasized on the importance of mediation and encouraged participants to learn its technique.
The team from MNLU, Mumbai, walked away with the grand prize of Rs 20,000 and internship opportunities at PSL- Advocates & Solicitors and International Arbitration and Mediation Centre, Hyderabad, while a team from JGLS, were the runners-up who bagged the prize of 12,000 and an internship at Singhania & Partners LLP and YCM India. Manan Parekh, the winning mediator, was awarded Rs 9,000 and an internship at PSL- Advocates & Solicitors and International Arbitration and Mediation Centre, Hyderabad and Pakhi Jain were declared the Runner Up Mediator along with a cash prize of Rs 6,500 and an internship at Singhania & Partners LLP and YCM India. Christ University, Bangalore, was declared the best Negotiating team (Preliminary Rounds) and Athira Mary Mathew as the best Mediator (Preliminary Rounds).
Tags: #CCADR# CNLUNMC2023