Inaugural Ceremony
The Inaugural Ceremony of the 1st Jagran Lakecity University Online International Mediation Tournament 2021, organised by JLU Centre for International Arbitration & ADR, in association with Asia Pacific Centre for Arbitration & Mediation (APCAM), partnered with leading publishing house Taxmann, commenced with 1-minute silence for those who have lost their loved ones & the departed souls, in this pandemic. The event was honoured with the presence of Chief Guest, Justice Dipak Misra, Former Chief Justice of India, Guest of Honour- Mr Anil Xavier, APCAM, Dr Sandeep Shastri, Vice-Chancellor, Jagran Lakecity University, Prof. Dr Yogendra Shrivastava, Dean Faculty of Law, JLU Bhopal. Dr Yogendra Shrivastava welcomed the august gathering, followed by the inaugural address of Dr Sandeep Shastri.
Mr Anil Xavier thereafter enlightened the gathering with insights on Mediation & the Chief Guest, J. Dipak Misra thereupon, pour his heart out on his experiences, observations, ideas on the concept of mediation. The Ceremony was concluded with a Vote of Thanks, given by Dr Apoorva Dixit, Faculty Co-ordinator, JLU Centre for National Commercial Arbitration & Dispute Resolution, JLU. The ceremony was coordinated by Ms Somya Khare, Asst. Prof JLU Faculty of Law.
‘Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding’. This quote by Albert Einstein marked the beginning of the ceremony, with Mediation being one of the most effective tools of non-violence- changing sides from Conflict to Compromise. Dr Yogendra Shrivastava gave the welcome address, wherein he welcomed the august gathering & all those related to the success of the initiation of the Tournament. Dr Sandeep Shastri went on to recall instances from Mahabharata in general & Bhagwat Gita in particular, forming an analogy between the Vedas & the global process of mediation. He stressed the idea of knowledge of ancient India being ‘finely grained nuances of mediation’, eventually encouraging today’s generation to go back to the idea and the concept. He further added that Online Mediation Tournament, like this one, is the reflection of times we live in and that Mediation is not just about law but has become a part & parcel of human existence, in terms of the series of challenges we’ve altogether faced. He ostensibly conveyed his wish, hope, prayer that the competition helps participants to develop skills to successfully mediate with passion, compassion & conviction.
Thereafter, Mr Xavier firstly congratulated Jagran Lakecity University for organising this tournament & the Participants for being part of this exciting event. He then poured his discernment on the growth of Mediation which has become more like a skill than a compromise; Global Jurisdiction; the Importance of a Mediator with various other important skills needed for the same; and the issues prevailing in this branch of law. He focused his address on the journey that Mediation has have followed ever since; the ideas of NLP, Neuro-linguistic management, hypnotic language, etc. He affirmed on the participation and organisation of tournaments of this sort, for the very fact that they provide knowledge, offer an opportunity to the students to get the flavour of mediation & how dispute resolution happens in real-life cases; they also help in moulding the career path of the students once they start their professional journey.
Justice Dipak Misra, who has vividly contributed immensely to the Indian Constitutional Jurisprudence, at hi stance reiterated the observations & ideas of Dr Sandeep Shastri & Mr Anil Xavier. He focused on the proposition on what the process of mediation rests upon- responsibility, spirituality, adjudication, progression, humanity, dedication & patience. Mediation is about complex psychology which requires concern, involvement of mediator and the higher plain of understanding. He drew his bar & bench life experiences, and shared the 4 stages on the idea of mediation, viz. Experimentation, Implementation, Inclusion, and Maximization. Justice Misra concluded with the note that despite this huge pandemic, we’re all together with the motto- “Man can be destroyed but never defeated”.
Encapsulating the Inaugural Ceremony and marking the end of the same, Dr Apoorva Dixit gave a Vote of Thanks, sending regards to the Hari Mohan Gupta, Chancellor, JLU, Abhishek Mohan Gupta, Pro-Chancellor, JLU, Dr Sandeep Shastri, Vice-Chancellor, JLU, Dr Diwakar Shukla, Dr Yogendra Shrivastava, Faculty Faculty of Law, the Technical & the Design team, along with the student body. She ended with a quote that says, ‘It’s not the happiness that brings gratitude, it’s the gratitude that brings us happiness’. A group picture marked the finish line of the privileged Inaugural Ceremony of the 1st JLU Online International Mediation Tournament 2021.
Valedictory Ceremony
The Valedictory Ceremony of 1st JLU Online International Mediation Tournament, 2021, organised by JLU Centre for International Arbitration & ADR in association with Asia- Pacific Centre for Arbitration & Mediation in collaboration with leading publishing house Taxamnn, took place on April 25th, 2021. It was graced with the presence of Chief Guest, Shri Justice S.K. Palo, UP-Lokayukta, Madhya Pradesh; Guest of Honour Ms Iram Majid, Executive Director, APCAM; Prof Dr Sandeep Shastri, Vice-Chancellor, JLU; Prof Dr Yogendra Shrivastava, Dean, School of Law, JLU.
The event also got the presence of teams from vivid Law Schools around India, which competed in the Tournament. The Ceremony initiated just after the final round of the Tournament, which was adjudged by Ms Hyang Mihardja from Indonesia, Mr Khan Khalid Adnan from Bangladesh & Mr Hemant Batra from Delhi. The welcome address was given by Dr Yogendra Shrivastava, followed by a Valedictory address by Dr Sandeep Shastri. Ms Iram Majid shared her life experiences & insights from her journey of Mediation. Thereafter, the Hon’ble Chief Guest, J. Palo addressed the attendees with his knowledge inclined towards the legal history & aspects of the same. After the results of the 1st JLU Online International Mediation Tournament, 2021 were announced by Dr Apoorva Dixit, Faculty Coordinator of the event, Mr Umang Mehta, Joint Student Convenor with Mr Harsh Saxena, set forth a brief of the 3-days event. The ceremony concluded with a Vote of Thanks by Dr Shobha Bharadwaj, Associate Prof, JLU. The Ceremony was moderated by Ms Vidhita Rakhe, Asst. Prof JLU.
Dr Yogendra Shrivastava’s welcome address included welcoming the Guests, participating teams, the Faculty of Law, JLU-SOL & the Students of the University. He expressed his gratitude to everyone who joined the Ceremony & thanked the guests for their guidance, trust & support that empowered the Tournament to be completed successfully. He appreciated the team of Dr Apoorva Dixit & Ms Saumya Shaji, Faculty Coordinators for the Tournament & the Student Body for their dedication & marvellous work herein. Dr Sandeep Shastri, in his Valedictory address, expressed the privilege that he feels along with the Jagran Family, to have J. S.K. Palo as part of the event. He set the tone of the event, with his words of honour, life experiences & deliberations. Sir wished & hoped the School of Law, Jagran Lakecity University, Bhopal to reach higher & higher in its future endeavours.
Guest of Honour, Ms Iram Majid, sharing a vast history with Mediation, thereafter, congratulated the Teams & the Organisers. Her address focused on the importance of conducting and participating in Competitions/Tournaments like these, for these help in earning skills & live experiences, to change perspectives and to improve understanding of the Fundamental type of Justice. She carries her address forward with how much of importance ADR has been to the Society at large promoting active listening, where the need of the other party is kept in consideration & neutral gain is looked for.
Justice Palo, who is an eminent academician and confers a huge part in the Indian Judiciary, first of all, appreciated the concept of ADR. He then gave insights on the history of Mediation from the legal background, from the 14th Law Commission to the present Lok Adalats, inclusive of excerpts from his own life. Sir reiterated the idea of Iram ma’am where Mediation, though at an Adolescent stage in India, promotes goodwill in the Society at large, saving the relationships, unlike the Courts.
“It’s not if you win or lose, but how you play.” With this quote the most awaited results were announced by Dr Apoorva Dixit, where Best Mediator Plan Award went to NLU Jodhpur; the Best & the Runner-up Mediator Award were conferred by the School of Law, Christ University, Bangalore & Kirit P Mehta School of Law, respectively. Award for Best Negotiating Team & Runner-up was conferred to MNLU, Mumbai & School of Law, Christ University, Bangalore, respectively. Soon after, Mr Umang Mehta, Student Joint Convenor, addressed the gathering with a brief report on the 3-day event, showing gratitude to the University, Faculty Coordinators & last but not least, student volunteers. It was followed with a huge round of applause by all the attendees.
The results of the tournament are as follows:
BEST MEDIATION PLAN – ARPIT GOYAL & AINESH CHAUDHARY of ‘NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, JODHPUR’
RUNNER-UP MEDIATOR – CHANDRAGUPTA PATIL of ‘KIRIT P. METHA SCHOOL OF LAW’
WINNING MEDIATOR – RAKSHA HR of ‘SCHOOL OF LAW, CHRIST(DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY), BENGALURU’
WINNING NEGOTIATING TEAM – MAHIMA ZAMINDAR & PARINA MUCHHALA of ‘MAHARASHTRA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, MUMBAI’
RUNNER-UP NEGOTIATING TEAM – PAHUL SOND & K SAI PREETHI of ‘SCHOOL OF LAW, CHRIST(DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY), BENGALURU’
