As per schedule of National Legal Services Authority, New Delhi National Lok Adalat was organized on Saturday in SAS Nagar.Mr. Justice Ajay Tewari, Judge, Punjab and Haryana High Court and Executive Chairman, Punjab State Legal Services Authority inspected the National Lok Adalat.Under the guidance of Sh. R.S. Rai, District & Sessions Judge-cum-Chairman, District Legal Services Authority, SAS Nagar the cases relating to Criminal Compoundable Offences, NI Act cases under Section-138, Bank Recovery Cases, MACT Cases,Matrimonial Disputes,Labour dispute cases, Land Acquisition cases, Electricity and Water Bills (Excluding non-compoundable theft cases), Service matters relating to pay and allowances and retiral benefits, Revenue Cases and other Civil Cases pertaining to rent, easmentary rights, injunction suits, specific performance suits etc. were dealt with.As many as 4050 cases were taken up out of which 1272 cases have been disposed of by virtue of compromise and awards of Rs.40,31,55,946/- were passed by the different Lok Adalat benches.For the successful organization of this National Lok Adalat, Sh. R.S. Rai, District & Sessions Judge had held daily meeting with judicial officers and also held meetings with Presidents and Secretaries of the Bar Associations SAS Nagar, Derabassi and Kharar, officials of other Departments i.e. Banks, Electricity Department, Labour Department, Insurance Companies etc. to sensitize them about the National Lok Adalat. They were also motivated and instructed to identify maximum number of cases which could be taken up in the National Lok Adalat and to make earnest efforts for their disposal in the Pre-Lok Adalats and National Lok Adalat.Justice Ajay Tewari addressed the media and replied to the questions put by the reporters with regard to National Lok Adalat. Hon’ble Judge also made the general public through media with regard to benefits of Lok Adalat quoting that the award passed in Lok Adalat is final and non-appealable and even court fee affixed by the parties is refunded. He was accompanied by Sh. R.S. Rai, District & Sessions Judge, Sh. Arun Gupta, Member Secretary, Punjab State Legal Services Authority, Sh. Mandeep Mittal, Additional Member Secretary and Sh. Baljinder Singh Maan, Secretary, District Legal Services Authority, SAS Nagar.
During the National Lok Adalat, besides many settlements and compromises, settlement of three cases pending in the Family Court Presided over Ms. Shikha Goel, Additional District & Sessions Judge were the main achievements of Lok Adalat as the couples who were litigating since long were reunited and promised to live together in future by going together Court complex itself.As per details, petition for dissolution of marriage was filed by petitioner Nirmala Devi against her husband Rakesh Kumar under Section 13 of Hindu Marriage Act which was pending before Ms. Shikha Goel, Principal Judge, Family Court since 24.02.2021. The parties were living separately for the last 25 years since May 1996. Efforts were made during the National Lok Adalat for their reunion which was successful. National Lok Adalat provided a platform for dialogue to the parties which bore fruits for them and they reunited after a period of more than 25 years and went together from the Court to live as husband and wife.In this National Lok Adalat, 19 benches were constituted at District Headquarter which were presided over by Sh. Sandeep Kumar Singla, Additional District & Sessions Judge; Ms. Harreet Kaur Kaleka, Additional District & Sessions Judge; Sh. Parminder Singh Grewal, Additional District & Sessions Judge; Sh. Devinder Kumar Gupta, Additional District & Sessions Judge; Sh. Avtar Singh Barda, Additional District & Sessions Judge; Ms. Shikha Goel, Additional District & Sessions Judge; Ms. Deepika Singh, Additional District & Sessions Judge; Sh. G.S. Sekhon, Civil Judge (Senior Division); Ms. Pamelpreet Grewal Kahal, Chief Judicial Magistrate; Ms. Ruchi Swapan Sharma, Additional Civil Judge (Senior Division); Sh. Jagjeet Singh, Civil Judge (Junior Division); Sh. Devnoor Singh, Civil Judge (Junior Division); Sh. Ravtesh Inderjit Singh, Civil Judge (Junior Division); Ms. Vishavjyoti, Civil Judge (Junior Division); Ms. Papneet, Civil Judge (Junior Division); Ms. Khyati Goyal, Civil Judge (Junior Division); Ms. Vaishnavi Sikka, Civil Judge (Junior Division); and Sh. Karamjit Singh Sullar,, Presiding Officer, Industrial Tribunal.Besides this, 4 benches at Sub-Division, Kharar of Ms. Shilpi Gupta, Additional Civil Judge (Sr. Divn.); Ms. Krishnanuja Mittal, Civil Judge (Jr. Divn.); Ms. Ankita Gupta, Civil Judge (Junior Division); Ms. Nidhi Saini, Civil Judge (Jr. Divn.) and 3 benches at Sub-Division, Derabassi of Ms. Pavleen Singh, Additional Civil Judge (Sr. Divn.); Sh. Jagmeet Singh, Civil Judge (Jr. Divn.) and Sh. Gaurav Dutta, Civil Judge (Jr. Divn.) were constituted for National Lok Adalat.During the National Lok Adalat, COVID protocol was strictly followed. The people who came to the Court complex without wearing mask were provided with the mask at the entry gate. The social distancing was also maintained during the National Lok Adalat.