Kochi (PTI): Online Dispute Resolution involving mediation and arbitration with the help of technology, was emerging as a branch of dispute resolution, Chief Justice of Kerala, H L Dattu said on Saturday.

In India, this method is in its infancy stage and is gaining prominence day by day, he said after inaugurating the National Conference on 'court annexed mediation and role of institutional arbitration' here.

With the enactment of Information Technology Act, 2000, e-commerce and e-governance have been given a formal and legal recognition. Even the traditional arbitration law of India has been reformulated and 'Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996' was enacted, he said.

In mediation, the practitioner has no advisory role, instead, a mediator renders help to parties to develop a shared understanding of the conflict and to work towards building a practical and lasting solution, he said.

He also emphasised the need for creating awareness on mediation among the general public.

"Unless the general public was aware of the goodness in the process of mediation, all our efforts would turn out to be a futile exercise", he added. The litigant public, who look to the court for redressal of their grievance, should have an idea about this process, he said.