Mediation Centre, High Court of Orissa was inaugurated yesterday in a ceremony that witnessed the presence of various Supreme Court and High Court Judges as well as the dignified members of the bar. The inaugural ceremony was held at Orissa Judicial Academy, with the High Court of Orissa and Odisha State Legal Services Authority acting as the joint organisers of the event. Justice Jaswant Singh, Judge, High Court of Orissa and Executive Chairman, Odisha State Legal Services Authority & Chairman, Odisha Judicial Academy delivered the Welcome Address. He elaborated on the need for training mediators effectively. Justice AM Khanwilkar, Judge, Supreme Court of India and Chairman, Supreme Court Legal Services Committee graced the Inaugural Ceremony as the Chief Guest and delivered the keynote address. Justice AS Boppana, judge, Supreme Court, was the guest of honour in the function. Justice Khanwilkar elucidated the effectiveness of mediation as a process in ADR that ensures holistic justice to the litigants concerned. Justice Bopanna, recalled the words of Justice Krishna Iyer to say that negotiated settlement through Mediation satisfies the litigants. Chief Justice of Orissa High Court, Justice S. Muralidhar stressed about the need to develop the mediation system in Odisha. He opined that Mahatma Gandhi was an ace Mediator and recounted how the father of the nation settled his first case as Advocate in South Africa through Mediation though he had won the same. The permanent resolution of a dispute can only happen if both of them reach an agreement to accept something that is reasonable; the success of one of the parties in dispute is not the answer, he said. He also urged the trainee mediators to take inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi. Justice CR Dash, Judge, High Court of Orissa & Chairman, Orissa High Court Legal Services Committee proposed the Vote of Thanks. The Inaugural function was followed by the 40 hours Mediation Training Programme. As many as 30 Advocate-Mediators participated in the training. The dignitaries and participants expressed hope that establishment of State of the Art Mediation Centre and such a training programme would go a long way in fulfilling the objective behind the Alternative Dispute Redressal Mechanism.