Srinagar, Aug 19 : The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh has nominated 35 judicial officers for a one-day workshop on the Arbitration & Conciliation Act, 1996, and the Mediation Act, 2023.
An official order accessed news agency reads, the programme, scheduled for August 22 at the J&K Judicial Academy in Mominabad, Srinagar, will cover law, practice and procedure under the arbitration framework, as well as the role of judges in mediation — including referral of disputes, drafting of settlement orders, and enforcement of mediated settlements, according to the order issued by the Registrar General’s office.
Additional District & Sessions Judges nominated include Farooq Ahmad Bhat (Srinagar), Yahaya Firdous Ahanger (Budgam), Anjum Ara (1st Additional, Srinagar), Ahsan Ullah Parvez Malik (Bandipora), and Ramesh Lal (Sopore).
Chief Judicial Magistrates among the nominees are Tsewang Phuntsog (Kargil, virtual mode), Manzoor Hussain (Handwara), Iqbal Ahmad Akhoon (Bandipora), Phuntsog Angmo (Leh, virtual mode), and Riyaz Ahmed Choudhary (Shopian).
Other judicial officers nominated include Rafia Hassan (Presiding Officer, Fast Track Court, Kulgam), Fariqa Nazir (Special Mobile Magistrate, Pulwama), Mudasar Farooq Ganaie (Secretary DLSA, Pulwama), Rajeev Kumar Tadyal (Sub Judge, Bijbehara), Lubna Sultan (Special Mobile Magistrate, Anantnag), and Junaid Imtiaz Mir (Sub Judge, Srinagar).
The list also features Shafeeq Ahmad Malik (Sub Judge, Chadoora), Imran Haneef Khan (Special Mobile Magistrate, Baramulla), Easart Ul Nabi (Special Mobile Magistrate, Budgam), Altaf Ahmad Mir (Sub-Judge, Vailoo), Muneer Ahmad Bhat (Addl. Spl. Mobile Magistrate, Awantipora), Tasneem Kawoos (Munssiff, Budgam), Arshad Aziz Qureshi (Munssiff, Anantnag), and Amaan Nissar (Munssiff Tral, Pulwama).
The remaining nominees are Mahoor (Munssiff Ganderbal/Addl. Spl. Mobile Magistrate, Ganderbal), Younis Hamid (Munssiff, Dangiwacha), Waqar Ahmed (Munssiff, Tangmarg), Sheeraz Akhter Malik (Addl. Spl Mobile Magistrate, Kulgam), Mansoor Ahmad Mir (Munssiff/Addl. Spl. Mobile Magistrate, Kralpora), Vikas Bhardwaj (2nd Addl. Munssiff, Srinagar), Nissarul Haq Khan (Munssiff D.H Pora, Kulgam), Mehak Mehbood (Munssiff Gurez, Bandipora), Shyam Kumar (Munssiff Aishmqam), Hiteshwar Kesar (Munssiff Baramulla), and Mudasir Yousuf (Munssiff, Sogam).
The nominated officers have been directed to report at the Judicial Academy premises by 9:45 AM sharp on the scheduled date, the order added.
Notably, the workshop assumes significance as the judiciary promotes alternative dispute resolution to ease case pendency.
The Mediation Act, 2023, empowers courts to refer disputes to mediation at any stage, and legal observers view such training as critical for effective implementation of the new law.
