Justice U. U. Lalit, Judge, Supreme Court of India and Executive Chairman, NALSA, who was in Srinagar in connection with the foundation stone laying of the New High Court building, inaugurated the National LokAdalat in District Court Complex Srinagar in presence of Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey, Executive Chairman, J&K Legal Services Authority.Justice Lalit visited the bench no. 1 dealing with MACT Cases and in his presence few cases were settled including the one injury case where the victim of the accident is in coma for the last five years due to head injury. With the cooperation of the counsel for the claimants and Shriram General Insurance Company and with the intervention of the bench an amount of Rs. 1.2 Crores was settled as compensation and the cheques were disbursed to the claimants on spot. Justice Lalit also visited the bench dealing with matrimonial cases. The bench informed the dignitaries that in two cases where the parties were living apart for quite some time were persuaded to enter into compromise and they left the court together alongwith their kids for a fresh start of cordial matrimonial life.
Justice Lalit during interaction with the participants complimented the role of Judicial Officers, Advocates, Insurance Companies and Banks for their pragmatic approach in settlement of cases through LokAdalat. He said that settlement through LokAdalat not only offers a way for the parties to settle their disputes according to their choice, which is speedy and cost effective but also blocks the pre-litigation matters from maturing into litigation. He further said that in order to have maximum response and settlements between the parties in cases like MACT, matrimonial, cheque bounce cases under NI Act, Money recovery cases, etc., pre-lokadalat sittings or pre-counselling sessions should be held regularly well before the date of National LokAdalat so that parties may get one or more chances for entering into negotiation/dialogue with the opposite parties.
J&K Legal Services Authority and Ladakh Legal Services Authority organized National Lok Adalat throughout the U.T’s of J&K and Ladakh.As per the information received from the districts, out of a total number of 1,48,293cases taken up by 155Benches in the day long National LokAdalat at various courts across the UT of J&K, 1,24,840Cases were disposed of and an amount of Rs. 2,06,64,19,877/- was awarded as compensation/ settlement amount in civil, criminal, labour disputes, Land Acquisition, Family matters, cheque dishonor and Bank Recovery cases. Likewise in Ladakh a total of 546Cases were taken up by 10benches and 472cases were disposed of and an amount of Rs. 1,00,68,901/- was awarded as compensation/settlement amount in civil, criminal, labour disputes, Electricity and Water Bills cases, Land Acquisition, Family matters, cheque dishonor and Bank Recovery cases.Member Secretary, J&K and Ladakh Legal Services Authorities, M.K.Sharma, thanked all the participants including the Judicial Officers, Secretaries DLSA’s, Advocates, representatives of insurance companies & banks, staff of the courts & Legal Services Institutions & litigants for their realistic approach in settlement of cases in such a large number.