On an average, at the Nanakpura cell, four to six cases are fixed for mediation every day. Mediation is done regularly, six days a week. The cases are generally decided in less than three to six hearings. Only in exceptional cases are seven or more meetings held.

Though only 54 cases - 30 percent of the 232 cases received - have been settled and 31 are still pending decision, Virk is confident.

Interestingly, there are as many as 19,000-odd cases pending with the mediation cell at district courts in Tis Hazari, Karkardooma and Rohini.

The Nanakpura mediation cell has 35 counsellors from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) and 30 professionals each from Jamia Millia Islamia and the National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development at work. In addition, there are also retired high court judges and lawyers who play the role of mediators.

Around three training programmes have been conducted by TISS for 60 police personnel across Delhi, says Virk.

Virk said if police file a complaint immediately in a dowry harassment or domestic violence case, it takes up a lot of time and money in litigation, and often the complainant suffers.

'All that is a lengthy process, we want to do away with the problem and reduce stress on the people concerned. For this, even police need to be made sensitive and we are trying to do that. Ours is a single window system,' he said.

Samir Parikh, a psychiatrist with Max Healthcare, said: 'The basic problem of marital discord is that couples are not ready to work out their relationship. One of the important reasons for failing marriages is mishandling of relationships by couples and their families.

He however didn't think it was right to blame the cell phone.

'I see no reason why cell phones are being blamed for marital rifts. Had mobile phones not been there, then the message would have been passed through landlines or telegrams, or letters. Basically it is about working out relationships,' Parekh said.

(Shweta Srinivasan can be contacted at shweta.s@ians.in)