{"id":396658,"date":"2026-09-19T15:30:56","date_gmt":"2026-09-19T10:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/?p=396658"},"modified":"2026-09-22T16:17:45","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T10:47:45","slug":"sanjeev-ahuja-mediation-first-port-of-call","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2026\/09\/19\/sanjeev-ahuja-mediation-first-port-of-call\/","title":{"rendered":"“Let’s talk” before “see you in Court”: Sanjeev Ahuja’s roadmap for a mediation-first India"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The capital witnessed a significant gathering of India’s legal and dispute-resolution community on September 18, 2026, as MCI: The Conclave by PACT & Poovayya<\/span> brought together practitioners, senior advocates, mediators, corporates, policymakers and other stakeholders at the India International Centre, New Delhi. Hosted by The PACT in collaboration with Poovayya & Co., the full-day Commercial Mediation Conclave was centred around a critical question for India’s evolving dispute-resolution landscape: How do we make mediation mainstream in commercial disputes?<\/span><\/p>\n

The Indian Mediation Federation (IMF)<\/span> was the Chief Networking Partner for the event. IMF is a national platform bringing together stakeholders across the mediation ecosystem with the objective of making mediation mainstream in India. Envisioned as an “umbilical cord” connecting professionals, businesses and other stakeholders across the country, IMF seeks to create a collaborative mediation ecosystem with the larger vision of positioning India as a global hub for mediation. The Federation focuses on two key objectives: Awareness and Advocacy of Mediation and seeks to encourage collective participation in building a stronger culture of mediation across the country.<\/p>\n

Sanjeev Ahuja, President, Indian Mediation Federation (IMF)<\/span>, is a mediator, advocate, insolvency professional and corporate strategist with over three decades of experience across diverse industries. Bringing together his corporate experience and his work in dispute resolution, Mr. Ahuja has been actively involved in advancing mediation and strengthening its role within India’s commercial dispute-resolution landscape.<\/p>\n

Delivering the welcome address, Sanjeev Ahuja began by drawing attention to the scale of judicial pendency in India and the urgent need to expand the use of mediation as an effective avenue for dispute resolution.<\/p>\n

His complete address, addressing the need to mainstream mediation and strengthen India’s dispute-resolution ecosystem, is reproduced below:<\/p>\n

I will start with a number that should concern all of us in this room. 5.5 crore cases pending in our courts and counting. And behind every number is a business waiting for capital, a family waiting for closure, a relationship waiting to be repaired. Every single successful mediation henceforth can help reduce this pendency, end that wait or at least prevent it from getting longer.<\/p>\n

Good evening. I am Sanjeev Ahuja, representing IMF – Indian Mediation Federation.<\/p>\n

So, what is the secret recipe of that successful mediation? That is the discussion we should be having. IMF aspires to work on that recipe, but not alone. Together as a team, with all stakeholders including service providers, policymakers, regulators, and more importantly the users and the end beneficiaries.<\/p>\n

Friends, Mediation Act 2023 is the reason for IMF to be there. The Act is a historic moment. For the first time, India gave statutory recognition to mediation. But a law alone does not change behaviour. We realized there was a missing bridge. On one side, we have courts wanting to refer cases. On the other, we have corporates wanting to resolve. On one side, we have thousands of young lawyers wanting to become mediators. On the other, we have institutions needing credible panels. IMF – Indian Mediation Federation – was born to be that bridge. Government and Courts will only be able to do so much. You get the Act; you get the buy-in from courts at every stage. Now there must be some real effort on the ground. Effort, which is not scattered, effort which is not in silos. IMF intends to be that umbilical cord, the platform that connects stakeholders across the mediation ecosystem. Our objective is simple: To change the narrative from ‘I will see you in the court’ to ‘Let us talk —<\/del>—<\/ins> whether in the boardroom, or the café by the side, or over a cup of tea with bun maska, but surely we talk.’ IMF is not here to compete with the courts or the government, but to complete the picture, close the loops, fill the gaps and connect the loose threads. Our vision is simple, but ambitious: To make Mediation the First Port of Call<\/p>\n

Legal fraternity has made arbitration a formidable alternative to litigation – both as arbitration counsels and as arbitrators. Now is the time to add another tool to the armoury while we handle the dispute resolution called mediation, the non-adversarial tool, and help it get its due share under the sun. And again, pick your preferred role — of being a mediator or a mediation advocate. Let us all work together from the very word go and get the crown of being the Mediation Hub —<\/del>—<\/ins> a crown which has eluded us in our arbitration journey.<\/p>\n

Joint research by IMF and SGT University threw up an interesting insight. Success rates are high – 68% under SC mediation program, 92% in England across 17,000 mediations, 70% at Singapore Mediation Centre, so on and so forth. The research says: “The difficulty is not that mediation fails. Issue is that too few disputes are ever brought to mediation.” So, the task is not to prove whether mediation works. The real task is to close the gap between what mediation CAN resolve and what is OFFERED to mediation. We need to be mindful – India is different and will always be. Copy-pastes won’t work. We are 1.5 billion. We must tweak successful global models to local requirements and local culture. Necessary flexibility and creativity will ensure a working model for India and Indians.<\/p>\n

IMF has clear twin objectives: Awareness and Advocacy. The day we have people on the street able to differentiate between mediation and meditation, and we have all agreements having a default clause for mediation – half the battle will be won. When I am asked, Sanjeev, mediation is good, but where is the work? My answer is – work will come when credibility comes. Here we owe it to the profession, both credibility and opportunity thereby ensuring that mediators get paid with dignity and mediation is not seen as pro-bono charity but a professional service. We have a huge demographic dividend. Thousands of law students want to be mediators. But they need mentoring, not just certificates<\/p>\n

I also want to address the elephant in the room. Many senior lawyers feel mediation will reduce litigation work. I come from a corporate background – Maruti, Apollo, E&Y, Booz Allen. I have seen this fear in every disruption. My submission is: Mediation is not against litigation. It is an extension of good lawyering. A good lawyer is not one who fights every case till Supreme Court. A good lawyer is one who gets the best result for the client, in shortest time, with least cost and to the utmost satisfaction of the client. Sometimes that best result is a settlement. And that is where a lawyer who is also a mediator commands far greater respect from the client.<\/p>\n

Before I close, a small request. IMF is not my Federation. I am only a custodian. It is your Federation. If you are a student here – learn this skill. It will differentiate you. If you are a young lawyer – take one pro-bono mediation case every month. That is how you build credibility. If you are a law firm partner here – refer one case which you feel can be mediated. Trust your associate to mediate it.<\/p>\n

Friends, six to me is nine to you. Many of you will relate to this paradox. That is the conflict we need to address. If you appreciate different perspectives, I invite you to take an interesting role – that of an invisible and silent mediator to start with, whose very presence can diffuse a charged-up environment. Welcome to the world of mediation. Choose your role. Be a mediator, be a mediation advocate. Let us together become a force to reckon with, for the larger cause, for the society, for the country. After all, Viksit Bharat expects a healthy and matured dispute resolution mechanism which comes without any side effects. And mediation is that homeopathic medicine. Let us together build that culture of resolution. Thank you. Jai Hind.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Addressing the MCI: The Conclave by PACT & Poovayya, Sanjeev Ahuja, President, Indian Mediation Federation (IMF) said that “IMF is not here to compete with the courts or the government, but to complete the picture, close the loops, fill the gaps and connect the loose threads. Our vision is simple, but ambitious: To make Mediation the First Port of Call”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67512,"featured_media":396857,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[107244,97664,114902,114903],"tags":[29543,54107,71152,115126,115125,115134,115131,61792,114755,115130,115133,115129,115127,84405,115135,115128,115132,115124],"class_list":["post-396658","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-domestic","category-events-collaborations","category-indian-mediation-federation","category-mci-the-pact-poovayya-commercial-mediation-conclave","tag-alternative-dispute-resolution","tag-commercial-mediation","tag-dispute-resolution-in-india","tag-imf","tag-indian-mediation-federation","tag-judicial-pendency-in-india","tag-mci-the-conclave","tag-mediation-act-2023","tag-mediation-advocacy","tag-mediation-awareness","tag-mediation-culture","tag-mediation-ecosystem","tag-mediation-first-port-of-call","tag-mediation-in-india","tag-mediation-professionals","tag-mediation-first-india","tag-pact-poovayya","tag-sanjeev-ahuja"],"yoast_head":"\nSanjeev 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