District and Sessions Judge H R Deshpande, who inaugurated the court, said that the special court has been established with a view to providing a forum for speedy settlement of family related disputes. “Emphasis will be laid on a non-adversative method of resolving family disputes and promoting conciliation and securing speedy settlement of disputes relating to marriage and family affairs. The jurisdiction of the court is restricted to Mangalore City Corporation. The family court is committed to the need to protect and preserve the institution of marriage and to promote the settlement of disputes by conciliation and counselling,” he said Mangalore Bar Association President S P Changappa said at a time when family values are declining fast, to maintain the family relationship intact, there was a need for family court in Mangalore.
“The court is not meant for only filing a case and fighting it out. It also aims at disposing the case in an amicable way. With the IT/BT companies booming in the country, the number of family problems is on the rise,” he said. Family Court Judge P N Desai said that the court will help in speedy disposal of the cases.
Conciliators
The family court will have a panel of conciliators comprising doctors, social workers, lawyers, professors who are interested in solving the cases related to family disputes amicably. All the proceedings will go to the conciliators. If both the parties arrive at a consensus and decide to settle the case, then they will give a report on the settlement of the case to the Judge, who in turn will verify it.
The list of conciliators will be sent to the High Court for approval. Normally, a panel will have ten conciliators.
Pending cases
As many as 524 cases related to family disputes are pending before the family court judge in Mangalore. The family court will have 17 staff.
