Nearly 9 In 10 Pre-Institution Mediation Cases In 2024–25 Recorded As Non-Starter, Government Data Shows

Nearly nine out of ten applications filed for mandatory pre-institution mediation under the Commercial Courts Act were recorded as “non-starter” in 2024–25, according to data shared by the Ministry of Law and Justice in Parliament.

The data was placed before the Rajya Sabha in a written reply by Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal. It shows that 59,568 applications were received for pre-institution mediation during the year. Of these, 52,730 applications were marked as “non-starter.” Only 877 cases resulted in settlement.

The pattern has continued in the current financial year so far. Between April 2025 and September 25, 2025, a total of 47,218 applications were received. Of these, 30,353 were recorded as non-starters, while 643 cases ended in settlement.

The data has been maintained since the introduction of Section 12A of the Commercial Courts Act. The provision was added to the law in 2018. It makes pre-institution mediation mandatory for commercial disputes of a specified value before a court can be approached, except in cases seeking urgent interim relief.

Year-wise figures show a steady rise in the number of applications filed under the provision. While 3,680 applications were received between July 2018 and March 2019, the number increased to 51,019 in 2023–24.

The ministry told Parliament that, as of November 2025, the National Legal Services Authority had about 22,398 mediators working across the country.