Under the patronage of Chief Justice, High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, Arun Palli, the Mediation and Conciliation Committee of the High Court of J&K and Ladakh, in collaboration with the J&K Legal Services Authority and the J&K Judicial Academy, today organised one day Interactive Roleplay Mediation Training Programmes, conducted simultaneously at the Jammu and Srinagar wings of the J&K Judicial Academy.
The event was part of the on-going 40 hours Mediation Training Programme for the Judicial Officers.
This training programme, held under the aegis of the Mediation and Conciliation Project Committee (MCPC), forms a significant component of the continued efforts of the High Court to strengthen the Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) framework across both Union Territories.
The workshop in Jammu was held under the overall supervision of Naseer Ahmad Dar, Director, J&K Judicial Academy while the Srinagar programme was supervised by Shazia Tabassum, Member Secretary, J&K Legal Services Authority.
At the Jammu wing of J&K Judicial Academy, the programme began with the welcome address by Naseer Ahmad Dar, Director, J&K Judicial Academy. He underscored the importance of mediation as an essential tool for strengthening the justice delivery system. He emphasized that practical, simulation-based training is vital for enabling the officers to internalize mediation techniques, communication strategies and neutral facilitation skills.
He welcomed Balbir Kour Gandhi, an experienced mediation trainer, expressing confidence that her expertise would greatly contribute to the effectiveness of the day’s training. He encouraged the participants to actively engage with the roleplay exercises and make full use of the opportunity to refine their mediation competencies.
In Srinagar wing of J&K Judicial Academy, the programme opened with welcoming remarks by Shazia Tabassum, Member Secretary, J&K Legal Services Authority. She highlighted the sustained efforts being made to strengthen the mediation services across the Union Territory. She noted that J&K has recently completed online training modules focusing on key principles, techniques and the evolving framework of court-annexed and community mediation. She also introduced the resource person, Puneeta Sethi, describing her long-standing association with the Mediation and Conciliation Project Committee (MCPC) of the Supreme Court of India.
At the Jammu campus, the day-long training consisted of three roleplay-based mediation sessions conducted by BalbirKour Gandhi, an experienced mediation trainer.
The first session focused on foundational mediation communication techniques, managing parties in conflict and adopting a neutral, facilitative approach. The participants engaged in guided simulations followed by reflective discussion.
The second session centred on exploring interests behind stated positions, managing emotions, breaking deadlocks and maintaining process control. The officers practised multiple mediation interventions through structured exercises.
The last and third session III addressed the advanced mediation scenarios, including multi-party disputes, caucusing, impasse-breaking methods and structured settlement facilitation.
The officers from various districts of Jammu division participated, including Chief Judicial Magistrates, Sub Judges, Munsiffs and Secretaries of District Legal Services Authorities.
At the Srinagar campus, the day-long training consisted of three roleplay-based mediation sessions conducted by Puneeta Sethi, Advocate, High Court of Punjab & Haryana. The training witnessed the participation from Judicial Officers from Kashmir Province and the UT of Ladakh.
The first session included a group role-play exercise, where the participants enacted a mediation scenario focusing on the fundamentals of mediation, facilitative techniques and mediator neutrality.
The second session consisted of a mediation workshop devoted to communication and negotiation techniques, enabling the officers to understand effective ways to identify interests, encourage dialogue and constructively manage disagreements.
The third session brought together the entire mediation process through a start-to-finish role-play exercise, offering the participants valuable insights and a deeply reflective learning experience. The session provided officers with a comprehensive overview of the mediation workflow, an essential foundation for facilitating effective settlements in mediation.
At both Jammu and Srinagar wings, aformal Vote of Thanks was conveyed, expressing gratitude to the Chief Justice, the Governing Committees of the J&K Judicial Academy, the J&K Legal Services Authority, the resource persons and the participating officers for ensuring the success of the programme.
Across both the centres, the participants appreciated the hands-on, simulation-based approach, noting that the structured role-plays offered practical clarity on how mediation tools can be integrated into everyday judicial work.
The simultaneous conduct of the programme at Jammu and Srinagar reflects on-going efforts of the High Court of J&K and Ladakh broaden mediation awareness and strengthen ADR capacity across the UT’s.
With these acknowledgments, the simultaneous programmes at Jammu and Srinagar concluded on a dignified and purposeful note, marking the successful culmination of the day’s training proceedings.