NALSAR University of Law has launched an online mediation centre in Telangana to help consumers settle disputes referred by state and district consumer commissions without prolonged litigation. The NALSAR ODR Centre for Mediation will conduct hearings online, at the university campus and at consumer commission premises.
The centre was launched at a programme organised by the Telangana Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission. It is supported by the Telangana State Legal Services Authority and the Telangana High Court, while Webnyay is providing technology for online hearings, case management and document management.
Telangana High Court Acting Chief Justice P. Sam Koshy said mediation should become an integral part of consumer justice. He said the institutional approach should be to mediate before litigating, while formal adjudication should remain available for disputes that require a decision.
Justice Koshy said the success of consumer protection should be measured not only by whether a consumer wins, but also by whether the consumer receives a fair remedy without spending years pursuing the case.
Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya of the Telangana High Court said consumer complaints were intended to be decided within three months, or five months when goods required testing. She noted that pendency figures showed that cases often took longer. Under the Mediation Act, 2023, mediation must be completed within 120 days of the parties’ first appearance before the mediator. The period can be extended by 60 days with the parties’ consent.
The centre will also organise training for mediators and advocates. Law students will assist with case management and documentation under faculty supervision, making the programme part of NALSAR’s practical legal education work.
At the launch, a demand draft of ₹12,32,104 was handed over to claimants in a health insurance dispute settled through negotiations during appeal proceedings. The insurer’s appeal had been pending before the State Commission since 2023.
NALSAR Vice Chancellor Prof. Srikrishna Deva Rao described the centre as a practical dispute-resolution component of legal education. Webnyay co-founder Vishwam Jindal said access would not be limited to smartphone users, noting that mediation hearings had also been conducted entirely through ordinary telephone calls. Justice G. Radha Rani, president of the State Consumer Commission and a former Telangana High Court judge, said mediation offered a different and constructive method of achieving justice.
