THE JOURNEY SO FAR

Meetings and Deliberations

The seeds for Nyaya Chaupal were sown when a group of legal experts met in New Delhi on January 8, 2017 under the chairmanship of Justice R.C. Lahoti (former Chief Justice of India).

Thereafter, several deliberations resulted in Nyaya Chaupal becoming a registered society and working extensively in Faridabad, Delhi and Gurugram for informal resolution of disputes.

In the first meeting held on January 8, 2017, which witnessed the participating of former Chief Justice and Judges of the High Courts, the feasibility and desirability of carrying out informal dispute resolution at the grassroot level, was explored. It was observed that the task, though not impossible, is beset with numerous challenges.

On February 26, 2017, a day-long workshop to sensitise nearly thirty people from Delhi and Faridabad was conducted under the guidance of Dr. Krishna Gopal ji, Sah-Sarkaryavah, Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh. In the two addresses delivered by him on that day, the philosophy and vision of Nyaya Chaupal was laid forth. Emphasis was laid on improving social relations, which are often destroyed due to litigation in courts.

The next meeting of the Working Group was held on March 5, 2017, where extensive deliberations took place as to what should be the organisational structure of the group and what should be methodology of achieving the objectives of the group. Participants put forth the various social and community efforts which are already going on in the area of informal dispute resolution, in order to evolve a suitable strategy for organising the group and methodology for resolving disputes.

The Working Group met again on May 8, 2017. In the said meeting, it was decided to give the group the shape of a society and get the same registered under the Societies Registration Act at Delhi. As a beginning, efforts to identify and attempt resolution of disputes may be made in Faridabad, Gurugram and Delhi. The first issue of the periodical “Nyaya”, which compiles instances of informal dispute resolution from across the country, was also released at the meeting.

In the meeting held on September 10, 2017, the National Level Working Group took stock of the developments in Faridabad, Gurugram and Delhi. It was informed that the first successful resolution of dispute had taken place by the team at Faridabad, which also found mention in the second issue of “Nyaya” circulated during the said meeting.