Cabinet nod for press, mediation bills

livemint.com:

New Delhi: The Union cabinet on Wednesday approved two key bills to be introduced in the monsoon session of Parliament, for which a heavy legislative agenda of 30 bills has been drawn up. Though a short one, the monsoon session is likely to be a significant one given the bills that are listed for discussions. The Union cabinet cleared both the Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, 2023 and the Mediation Bill, 2021, which has now been reworked to incorporate suggestions from a Parliamentary panel, said two persons informed about the development.

There was no official briefing about the decisions. Around 30 bills are being readied for consideration during the session with 17 working days that begins on 20 July and ends on 11 August, one of the persons cited above said. The Mediation Bill includes a framework for settling civil or commercial disputes through mediation before parties approach a court or tribunal.

Under this new legislation, participation in pre-litigation mediation is likely to be mandatory. The idea is to find an efficient way of dispute resolution and free up the judiciary of avoidable litigation. The bill also proposes to set up a Mediation Council of India that will register mediators and recognise mediation service providers and institutes.

It is expected to suggest subjects where mediation will be mandatory and other areas where such a process cannot be initiated. The Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, 2023 will replace the 155-year-old ‘Press and Registration of Books Act’ with simplified legislation that de-criminalises various provisions and brings digital media under its ambit. The new law is expected to make the registration process for newspapers and periodicals simpler and remove