Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is a mechanism to settle the disputes outside the court without going to a judicial court and following the complex and lengthy procedure of a court rooms. ADR allows the litigants (Parties) to resolve any kind of dispute that can be resolved by a civil court in India. Disputes arising out of contract, employment, marriage, family, property, tort, consumer, insurance, banking services, credit and loans, etc. all can be resolved and settled through the process of ADR.

Lately, ADR has been viewed as one of the important ways of perpetuating justice among the citizens of the world and hence almost all the countries have been accepting it with open arms. The main purpose of any judicial system is to be bring justice and settle the disputes among the litigants and if that can be achieved by any formal or informal non-judicial institution then it certainly needs to be looked at. With this lot of contractual disputes are being resolved through the process of ADR.

Lately with advent of technology it has been observed that dispute resolution can be done in a virtual mode, i.e., Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) mode. Basically, in ODR a dispute is resolved by arriving at a compromise outside the court and lot of institutions are going forward in implementing the ODR.

Whether online or offline conducted the ADR/ODR involved three major ways of settling the dispute namely;

Arbitration – In Arbitration an Arbitrator or panel of Arbitrators is appointed, by both the Parties, who adjudicates and helps in settling the dispute by passing an award.

Mediation – In Mediation a Mediator being a neutral entity helps the parties negotiate the terms of settlement. Mediator does not have power to impose an outcome of the dispute.

Conciliation – In conciliation a Conciliator assists the Parties to arrive at settlement and also helps by proposing settlement agreement. Such proposal need not be in writing.

Vidhikarya Centre for Dispute Resolution (VCDR) is a formal and well accepted ADR process to settle the disputes between the Parties before going to court or to avoid going to the court. VCDR has been a pioneer in the legal sector to enable the litigants to settle their matters and disputes without going to court in an amicable and peaceful manner. As a result, it has been able to help its clients save lot of money and effort in resolving their disputes in comparison to filing cases in the court of law. It has also been able to reduce the complexity and heartburn between the parties.

VCDR involves mechanism of both online (ODR) and offline resolution depending on the need and logistics of the Parties and the Presiding Officer.

Mission and Vision of VCDR

To create a channel for all Indians to access dispute settlement and resolve their disputes in lowest possible cost and time.