Chanakya National Law University (CNLU), Patna successfully hosted the 4th National Mediation Competition, 2026 on 25th January, 2025 at the campus. The competition was organised by the Chanakya Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution (CCADR), in collaboration with ADP Law Offices, HSA Advocates, and Panag, Babu & Sarangi, reinforcing the integration of professional practice with academic training in mediation.
The competition was conducted in a hybrid format. The Inaugural Ceremony of the competition was held on 10 January 2026, followed by the Preliminary and Quarter-Final Rounds conducted online on 11th January 2026. The Inaugural Ceremony was graced by distinguished dignitaries from the mediation and dispute resolution community, including Chief Guest Mr. Sukhsimranjit Singh, Ph.D., renowned mediator and arbitrator with JAMS, along with the Guest of Honour, Mr. Siddharth Jha, Counsel at the Singapore International Mediation Centre. A mediation training session was hosted by Dr. Ashu Dhiman, Assistant Professor of Law at Vivekananda School of Law & Legal Studies and Chief Advisor at MediateGuru.
The online rounds witnessed enthusiastic participation from law universities across the country and were adjudged by practitioners and professionals associated with reputed legal institutions and chambers, including Archeus Law, Samvad Partners, among others, along with dignitaries from the Supreme Court and Delhi High Court, ensuring a rigorous and diverse evaluation process.
Following the online rounds, the Semi-Final and Final Rounds were conducted physically at the CNLU campus. The Semi-Final Rounds were adjudged by an eminent panel comprising, Mr. Param Bhamra, Founder, MediateGuru; Ms. Neha Singh, Advocate at Supreme Court and founder of Bleeding Blue, Ms. Mahak Rathee, founder, ADR HOC, Ms. Ekta Bhasin, Counsel at Argus Partners, Ms. Shalini Sati Prasad, Partner, JSA, and Mrs. Vagisha Vacaknavi, Advocate, Patna High Court.
The Final Rounds were adjudged by a distinguished panel of national and international experts whose collective experience added exceptional academic and professional depth to the competition. The panel comprised Mrs. Nivedita Nirvikar, Designated Senior Advocate, Patna High Court; Mr. Amaresh Kumar Singh, Senior Partner at HSA Advocates; Mr. Shodhan Babu, Founding Partner at Panag & Babu Law Offices; Mr. W. Patrick McPhilamy III, SIMI Accredited Mediator and Chartered Arbitrator; and Mr. Joe Tirado, independent international arbitrator and former ICSID Conciliator.
The competition concluded with a Valedictory Ceremony held at the CNLU campus. The ceremony commenced with a Welcome Address by Ms. Arpita Chaudhary, Co-Convenor CCADR. This was succeeded by the address of the Registrar, Prof. Dr. S. P. Singh, who underscored the growing relevance of mediation within India’s justice delivery system, along with the felicitation of the judges by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Dr. Faizan Mustafa.
The Guest of Honour, Mr. Shodhan Babu, then addressed the gathering, followed by the addresses of the Guests of Eminence, Mr. Amaresh Kumar Singh, Mr. Joe Tirado, and Mr. W. Patrick McPhilamy III. The ceremony was further enriched by the address of the Chief Guest, Mrs. Nivedita Nirvikar, who emphasised the importance of mediation in ensuring timely, participatory, and effective dispute resolution.
The competition concluded with WBNUJS, Kolkata, being declared the Winning Negotiating Pair and NLU, Jodhpur, being awarded Best Mediator in the Final Rounds, while VIPS, Delhi and RMLNLU, Lucknow, were recognised as the Best Negotiating Pair and Best Mediator, respectively, in the Preliminary Rounds.
The event concluded with a Vote of Thanks, marking the successful completion of the 4th edition of the CNLU National Mediation Competition and reaffirming CCADR’s role as a leading institutional platform for mediation advocacy and training.