Date:18/10/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/10/18/stories/2004101813270500.htm

Andhra Pradesh

`International arbitration centre for India soon'

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, OCT. 17. The Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for Law and Justice, E.M. Sudarsana Natchiappan, on Sunday said that India would soon have an international arbitration centre.

"If we had such an agency in the country, we need not fly to London every time for the Enron case," Mr Natchiappan said interacting with the media at the end of a two-day visit by members of the committee, including N.Y. Hanumanthappa, Shailendra Kumar and Chhatter Singh Darbar.

Talks with others

Mr. Natchiappan said they had initiated interaction with similar bodies in other countries including the arbitration committee in Singapore and were due for a video-conference with committees in Hong Kong and London. They are scheduled to meet the President, International Chamber of Commerce, Paris, Robert Brienet, in New Delhi on Monday.

He said there was a marked lack of infrastructure, vis-à-vis increasing population and increase in litigation. The committee had submitted a report to the Parliament, saying there were 155 vacancies of High Court judges. Its report that there were four vacancies for Judges in the Supreme Court led to three of them being filled.

Extensive discussions

He said the committee held extensive discussions with the High Court Judge and Executive Chairman, AP State Legal Services Authority (APSLSA), Bilal Nazki, Chairman, AP High Court Legal Services Committee, D.S.R. Varma, and the Member Secretary, APSLSA, G. Bhavani Prasad.

"The judges and advocates are showing interest in resolving disputes. They are showing interest in utilising their holidays, something which other States should emulate. This apart, the people by and large are anxious to get their disputes settled", he said.

He recalled that the Committee had visited Lok Adalats and Legal Clinics and found that several problems need not come to the court at all.