Mezivolu T Therieh, NJS, Principal District & Sessions Judge, Kohima.
Kohima, February 21 (MExN): The ‘40 Hours Mediation’ training programme organised by the Nagaland State Legal Services Authority (NSLSA) began at Hotel Japfü, Kohima on February 21. The programme is being organised under the aegis of the Mediation & Conciliation Project Committee (MCPC) of the Supreme Court of India.
In her inaugural address, Mezivolu T Therieh, NJS, Principal District & Sessions Judge, Kohima and former Registrar of the Supreme Court (I/C Mediation & Legal Services), emphasised that mediation is an “ongoing movement” in the country with the need for more and more trainers in India.
Speaking from the perspective of the Supreme Court, Justice Therieh noted that it is part of a broader family of alternative dispute resolution mechanism for reducing case-loads and enhancing access to justice while maintaining its focus to pre-litigation.
The judge expressed how mediation it different from other ADR processes where the mediators is a key point at facilitating dialogue with the parties and see how the parties come to a negotiating point.
Drawing from her experience, Therieh observed how some cases come with challenges stretched in time and phased from Court to Court and place to place but the attempt to mediate the case where parties have the autonomy to exercise their freedom in expressing their difference are sometimes beautifully resolved.
She noted that becoming a trained mediator has also benefited her as a “life changing process and transcends our professional spaces.”
Referring to the Mediation Act, 2023, Therieh pointed to Section 7 of the legislation, which empowers courts and tribunals to refer disputes to mediation at any stage.
She noted that while the Act has been adopted, some provisions are still in the process of being implemented, and “shortly we will be seeing the act fully functional.” The Justice added, “After it is fully implemented, it will open up a good professional career for trained mediators, not only for practicing lawyers but also for judges and retired lawyers.”
Therieh also appreciated the launch of the 'Mediation 2.0' initiative by Supreme Court judge Justice Surya Kant, aimed at promoting mediation as a mainstream mode of dispute resolution.
In the context of Nagaland, she stressed that “community mediation was also a need of the hour,” observing that while such practices have existed since time immemorial, “customary judges can be trained to settle disputes in a more organised manner.”
Delivering the introductory address, Neiko Akami (NJS), Member Secretary of the NSLSA, informed that during the first 90-day nationwide mediation drive in 2025, a dearth of trained mediators was observed across all districts of Nagaland, with trained personnel largely concentrated in Kohima and Dimapur.
To provide access to mediation for all beneficiaries, the current training programme has been initiated this year by training learned counsels from all districts of the state, Akami added.
The programme was chaired by Kekhrienguno Catherine, Panel Lawyer, Kohima DLSA. A total of 26 learned counsels are participating in the training.
The resource persons for the session are Reema Bhandari and Rita Das Mozumdar, both Senior Trainers from the Mediation and Conciliation Project Committee (MCPC).
