EVALUATING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SECTION 89 CPC IN HARYANA’S CIVIL JUSTICE SYSTEM

Section 89 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (CPC) represents a structural attempt to embed Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) within India’s formal civil justice process. Enacted to reduce judicial backlog and promote consensual settlement, the provision mandates courts to identify settlement potential and refer appropriate disputes to arbitration, conciliation, mediation, or Lok Adalat. Despite constitutional validation and extensive judicial guidance, its practical impact remains uneven. This paper combines doctrinal analysis with empirical field data from Haryana to assess whether Section 89 has transformed dispute resolution culture or remains a procedural formality. Survey findings reveal low litigant awareness, limited adoption of lawyer-driven ADR, and weak institutionalisation of referral practices. The paper argues that Section 89’s underperformance is systemic rather than legal, rooted in informational asymmetry, adversarial professional incentives, institutional inertia, and drafting ambiguities. The study proposes reforms targeting legal literacy, procedural standardisation, professional alignment, and institutional design, positioning Section 89 as a crucial but under-realised access-to-justice mechanism.