NITI Aayog releases report on online dispute resolution

The NITI Aayog on Monday released a report on Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) to advance access to justice and ensure that cases do not end up before higher courts.

The policy think tank proposed measures at three levels to address the challenges in adopting ODR.

Key Highlights

• The report titled “Designing the future of dispute Resolution: the ODR Policy Plan for India ” recommends increasing digital infrastructure, building capacity, regulatory framework, including permission for online notarization, and implementing it in a phased manner, etc.
• The report is a culmination of the action plan made by a committee constituted at the peak of the Covid crisis by NITI Aayog on ODR in 2020 and chaired by Supreme Court Justice (Retd) AK Sikri, said an official.
• ODR is aimed at resolving disputes outside of the court system through arbitration, mediation, and negotiation.
• The report said government litigation contributes to 46% of all litigation in the country and not only burdens the courts but also imposes a huge cost on the public exchequer.
• In 2017-18, the expenditure incurred by the central government in contesting cases in the Supreme Court alone was Rs. 47.99 crore. The report cited the Legal Information Management and Briefing System portal and added as of September 23, 2020, the government had 5,80,132 cases pending in different courts across the country.

SOURCE: Hindustan Times

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