New Delhi, April 10 -- Cheque bounce and land disputes make up a large share of the judicial backlog in India, clogging courts and leaving judges with limited time to hear more complex matters.

In order to reduce court pendency, the Centre has asked states to take the lead in resolving these cheque dishonour and land acquisition cases through mediation, according to a government document reviewed exclusively by Mint and confirmed by two officials.

According to the direction issued as part of the Mediation for Nation 2.0 campaign, state chief secretaries have been asked to actively support efforts to identify and dispose of cases that can be settled through mediation, the government officials cited earlier said, adding that the cases whe...