Mumbai, October 22, 2019: The Maharashtra National Law University Mumbai organised its first National Dispute Resolution Competition, Mediation Bombay from the 17th to 20th October, 2019. The competition witnessed the participation of twenty-four teams representing National Law Universities and Colleges across India. In the backdrop of the signing of the recent United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation, better known as the Singapore Mediation Convention, an imminent need was felt to organise the first national mediation competition in Mumbai, the legal hub of the country. The competition was designed to provide the participants an opportunity to enhance their mediation and negotiation skills to become well equipped professionals. The participants underwent training in Mediation from internationally renowned experts, Ms. Catherine Davidson (International Civil Mediator), Ms. Iram Majid (Director, Indian Institution of Arbitration and Mediation) and Mr. FirdoshKarachiwala (Founder, Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution). In the different rounds of the competition, the participants negotiated different propositions, ranging from forestland disputes, advocating human rights to create safe workplace, negotiating a deal for launching space missions, tackling the mistaken identity of a global leader to resolving the issue of Kashmir, that has remained unresolved for decades. The propositions were meticulously designed by the University’s students under the guidance of anexpert Case Working Committee comprising of Ms. Catherine Davidson, Ms. Damali Peterman, Mr. Charles Middleton Smith, Mr. Thomas Valenti, Mr. Yuvraj Samant.
The Competition was conceived by two Fourth year students, Ms. Saisha Bacha and Mr. Jai Sanyal under the able guidance of Assistant Professor of Law, Mr. Chirag Balyan. The competition was organised under the aegis of the Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, Prof. (Dr.) Shri DilipUkey by an organising committee of over 90 volunteers.
The competition had a pool of Forty-Eight judges from across the country. In the final round, the participants were adjudged by renowned alternative dispute resolution experts such as, Ms. Catherine Davidson (International Civil Mediator), Mr. Raj Panchmatia (Partner, Khaitan & Co.), Mr. PrathameshPopat (Founder, Prachi Mediation), Mr. A.J. Jawad (Trustee, FCDR), Dr. Aman Hingorani (Advocate on Record, Supreme Court of India), Mr. FirdoshKarachiwala (Director, Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution). The Valedictory Function of the Competition was graced by Hon’ble Mr. Justice Shri Nitin Jamdar, Judge Bombay High Court and Sen. Adv. Shri Darius Khambata. They addressed the gathering on the growing importance of Mediation as a dispute resolution mechanism in India.
The competition was supported by:
The Negotiation Academy
Bombay Bar Association
Majmudar Partners
Thane Bar Association
SCC Online and Eastern Book Company
Mahavir Industries
Bridge Mediation
Association of Mediation Practitioners
Indian Institute of Arbitration and Mediation
Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution
Prachi Mediation
Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry
The Winners of the competition are:
Winner Mediator: Rhea Shah, NMIMS, Mumbai
Runner Up Mediator: Aachman Shekhar, NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad
Winner Negotiating Pair: Yuvraj Goswami, Aaryan, Army Institute of Law, Mohali
Runner Up Negotiating Pair:ManasaRenduchitala, Sabreen Hussain, Symbiosis Law School, Pune
The Special Awardees are:
Best Upcoming Team (Negotiating Pair): Anoushka Borker, Abhinav Vishwanath, Christ University, Bangalore
Best Team Work: Aditi Sannidhi, Rishika Jain, National Law Institute University Bhopal
Best Upcoming Mediator: Nausheen Ansari, Government Law College, Mumbai
Best Mediator Opening Statement: Rhea Prasad National Law School of India University, Bangalore
The Maharashtra National Law University Mumbai is a premier institution of legal studies in Mumbai, India. The University was established in 2014 with the stellar vision of Late Dr. Madhava Menon and functions with the vision to provide holistic education to students pursuing the field of law.
