The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) has proposed a voluntary mediation mechanism for operational creditors before filing insolvency applications under the IBC norms. The proposal aims to reduce the burden on the Adjudicating Authority (AA), thereby expediting admissions. The recommendation is based on an expert committee report and subsequent suggestions by the Indian Institute of Insolvency Professionals of ICAI (IIIPI). In a discussion paper released on Monday, the insolvency board proposed to introduce mediation as a preliminary step, providing operational creditors an avenue to settle disputes with corporate debtors over matters like contractual disagreements, quality issues, underpayment claims, and set-off demands. The insolvency board noted that in most of the operational creditors-initiated insolvency cases, they are more interested in repayment of money claims rather than admission or resolution of the corporate debtor. According to IBBI, as of April 2024,