Centre pushes states to settle cheque bounce, land cases via mediation

Mint and confirmed by two officials.According to the direction issued as part of the Mediation for Nation 2.0 campaign, state chief secretaries have been asked to actively support efforts to identify and dispose of cases that can be settled through mediation, the government officials cited earlier said, adding that the cases where the state is a complainant can be resolved through settlement.The emphasis is on disputes that are legally compoundable—cases that can be resolved mutually, including cheque bounce cases, land acquisition matters and certain criminal offences, the officials said on the condition of anonymity.The move assumes significance as cheque dishonour cases have been identified as a key focus area due to their sheer volume. As per government data, over 8.007 million cheque bounce cases are pending across high courts.

Such cases are heavily concentrated in a few high courts, with the Allahabad high court alone accounting for over 3.25 million pending cases, followed by Rajasthan with about 738,000 and Delhi with over 718,000 cases.Queries sent to Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Delhi governments as well as Union ministries of finance and law and justice remained unanswered till press time.While legal experts welcomed the Centre’s initiative, they flagged potential implementation challenges and concerns over decision-making powers at the state level, stating that clear authority structures and safeguards will be key to the success of the mediation drive.“It is easy to outline such measures on paper, but in practice every legal action follows a defined process that must be adhered to, especially by state authorities. Government departments are bound by rules, approvals and audit requirements, which can limit