Mediator or Conciliator not bound by formal evidence or civil procedure; guided by fairness, natural justice, parties' rights and trade usages. A Mediator or Conciliator is not bound by the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 or the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908; instead the mediator must be guided by the principles of fairness and natural justice, having regard to the rights and obligations of the parties, usages of trade, and the circumstances of the dispute.