Date:09/01/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/01/09/stories/2007010913200500.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Cyriac Joseph wants speedy justice at low cost for people

Staff Reporter

Adopt practical and reasonable approach, arbitrators told

`If disputes are not solved quickly, people will lose faith in arbitration'

`Why should arbitration sittings always be held in five star hotels?'

FOR SPEEDY JUSTICE: M. Velu (left), president of IITA Chennai; Cyriac Joseph, Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court; S. Chinnaswamy, Chief Engineer, CPWD and Chairman, IITA, Bangalore; Srikumar, DG of Karnataka State Police Housing Corporation; and M .K. Shankarlinge Gowda, Bangalore Development Authority Commissioner, at the inauguration of national workshop on `Arbitration — challenges ahead' in Bangalore on Monday. — Photo: K. Gopinathan

BANGALORE: Stressing the importance of arbitration in reducing the burden on courts, Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court, Justice Cyriac Joseph on Monday urged the arbitrators to ensure speedy justice in a cost effective manner. Important challenges to arbitration today include providing speedy justice at a low cost, he added.

The Chief Justice was inaugurating the national workshop on "Arbitration — Challenges Ahead", organised by the Indian Institution of Technical Arbitrators, Bangalore Chapter. He said, "Unless disputes are resolved with in a minimum time frame and at reduced cost, arbitration was not going to survive as people will lose faith in this method of adjudication."

He said it was a fact that arbitration was taking more time than what was expected, and arbitrators should adopt practical and reasonable approach for arbitration. Arbitration was introduced when citizens started losing faith in the courts and felt that they might not receive justice in their lifetime, he added.

Mr. Joseph said that arbitration had been useful to the judiciary in reducing its burden. Delving on the arbitration process at present, Mr. Joseph asked: "Why should arbitration sitting be always in star hotels? Five star and seven star culture had crept into the country causing destruction."

Mr. Jospeh said, "I have told the officials of judiciary not to arrange any function of the judiciary in star hotels." IITA president M. Velu, its former president M.C. Bhide, Bangalore Development Authority Commissioner M.K. Shankarlinge Gowda and Director-General of Karnataka State Police Housing Corporation Srikumar were present. Over 250 delegates representing 40 organisations were participating in the workshop.