‘Multi-door courthouse’: CJI Kant’s vision for holistic dispute resolution; calls for alternatives beyond trials

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant outlined his vision of a “multi-door courthouse” where courts function as comprehensive dispute resolution centres offering mediation, arbitration and litigation. Speaking at a national mediation conference, he stressed that mediation is the law’s highest evolution, can reduce judicial pendency, and requires an expansion of trained mediators across all levels of the judiciary.