Jaipur, Aug. 1 -- The Chief Justice of India, Surya Kant, on Saturday said the true purpose of justice is not merely to decide competing legal claims but to understand the underlying interests of disputing parties and help preserve relationships wherever possible.

Delivering the keynote address at the Commonwealth Peace Mediation Conference on the theme "Peace, Mediation and the Rule of Law," the CJI drew upon the "Orange Quarrel" metaphor to illustrate the distinction between litigation and mediation.

He said litigation adjudicates positions--such as who owns the orange--whereas mediation seeks to uncover the real interests of the parties, often revealing that seemingly irreconcilable disputes can be resolved by understanding what each...