Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan performed bhoomipujan of the Advocate General’s office building ‘Nav Srijan’ in the city, on Sunday. Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister stressed the need for pre-litigation mediation as a way to settle disputes and reduce the burden on the High Court. The Chief Minister, while informing about PESA Act, said, “Peace and Dispute Resolution Committee has been formed in scheduled tribal areas, which have successfully resolved local disputes in villages. He suggested that similar committees be formed in other villages to resolve disputes and called for a model with legal provisions for this purpose.

Chouhan also highlighted the significance of Swami Vivekananda’s teachings in his life and quoted his famous saying that “Man is not just a flesh and bone figure, but a part of God with infinite powers”. He stressed the need for justice to be accessible, affordable and understandable to common man and advised that Court’s decisions should be made in Hindi to ensure wider understanding among citizens. Chouhan also stated that Madhya Pradesh is the first State in India to provide medical and engineering education in Hindi. Expressing views on the occasion, former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court, Justice Rajendra Menon said the Advocate General Building will meet the urgent requirements of the present. He emphasised the importance of pre-litigation mediation in reducing the burden on courts. Later, Chief Justice of MP High Court, Ravi Malimath emphasised the importance of hard work, honesty and commitment in building institutions. He hoped that the building will be completed within fixed time frame. Supreme Court Justice J K Maheshwari explained the significance of the power of thoughts. He said the thoughts of Swami Vivekananda and Mahatma Gandhi are important in keeping a person’s life on the footing of success. There is a need to imbibe the thoughts of these great men, he added.

Earlier, the ceremony began with the worship of the girl child and the performance of bhoomipujan rituals for the Advocate General’s office building. Chief Minister Chouhan congratulated everyone on construction of the new building, which is expected to meet the needs of the advocates and facilitate the speedy disposal of court work.

Those also present on the occasion were Member of Parliament Rakesh Singh, Rajya Sabha MP Sumitra Balmik, Advocate General, Prashant Singh, DIG Umesh Joga, Collector Saurabh Kumar Suman, SP T K Judges, advocates and members of the Bar Association, along with students.