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R. Srinivasan v. V. Chandrasekaran

Civil Appeal · 2018 INSC 374Decided 19 Apr 2018
Civil Appeal No. 3993 of 2018
Justice Kurian Joseph · Justice Mohan M. Shantanagoudar · Justice Navin Sinha

Background

The parties had been locked in litigation for roughly two decades over a dispute concerning the reconveyance of property that had been agreed to be resold to the appellant. Multiple earlier attempts at a settlement, through various intermediaries, had failed to produce a final resolution. When the appeal came up for hearing before the Supreme Court, the Court enlisted the help of a mediator and amicus curiae to help the parties reach a resolution.

Decision Breakdown

With the active assistance of the court-appointed mediator and the cooperation of both sides' counsel, the parties finally reached and signed a formal Settlement Agreement dated 19.04.2018, resolving the two-decade-old property dispute. The Supreme Court disposed of the civil appeal strictly in terms of that Settlement Agreement, directing both parties to abide by its terms, which were made part of the Court's order, and specifically recorded its appreciation for the mediators' efforts in bringing the long-running dispute to a close.

Lesson Learnt

Even extremely long-running civil disputes can sometimes be resolved through court-facilitated mediation rather than a contested judgment, once both sides sign a settlement, the court can make its terms legally binding and enforceable as part of its order.

Official source (sci.gov.in)View Judgment (PDF)

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