Guwahati, Supreme Court judge B V Nagarathna on Saturday stressed that adjudication and alternative dispute resolution must work together in the delivery of justice in matters of family disputes.
The chairperson of the Committee for Family Court Matters in the apex court also emphasised that speedy resolution cannot come at the cost of meaningful and just outcomes. Justice Nagarathna was speaking at the opening ceremony of a two-day eastern zone regional conference on ‘ADR vs adjudication in family disputes: Challenges and way forward’, organised here by the Committee for Family Court Matters, Supreme Court, in association with the Gauhati High Court. “It would be apposite to consider whether the framing of this theme suggests an apparent conflict. After all, alternative dispute resolution mechanisms are not meant to supplant courts. The Supreme Court judge hoped the conference would come forward with practical and actionable suggestions to develop and bolster such a system.
Rather, the two should ideally aid in delivery of justice, with ADR mechanisms offering speed, privacy and confidentiality in family matters,” she said. Mentioning delays in the delivery of judgments in family dispute cases when time is of the essence in several such cases, Justice Nagarathna said such delays lead to exaggeration of existing inequalities in familial relationships.
