As per schedule of National Legal Services Authority, New Delhi and under guidance of Mr. Justice Tejinder Singh Dhindsa, Judge, Punjab and Haryana High Court and Executive Chairman, Punjab State Legal Services Authority, National Lok Adalat was organized on 11.02.2023 in the leadership of Sh. Harpal Singh, District & Sessions Judge-cum-Chairman, District Legal Services Authority, SAS Nagar.
In this Lok Adalat, Criminal Compoundable Offences, NI Act cases under Section-138, Bank Recovery Cases, MACT Cases, Matrimonial Disputes, Labour disputes, 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 (Rent, Easmentary Rights, injunction Suits, specific performance suits) were taken up.
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; Sh. Parminder Singh Grewal, Additional District & Sessions Judge; Sh. Avtar Singh Barda, Additional District & Sessions Judge; Sh. Barjinder Pal Singh, Principal Judge, Family Court; Sh. Vineet Kumar Narang, Civil Judge (Senior Division); Ms. Harpreet Kaur, CJM, Ms. Sonali Singh, Additional Civil Judge (Senior Division); Sh. Jagjeet Singh, Civil Judge (Junior Division); Sh. Mukesh Kumar Singla, Civil Judge (Junior Division); Sh. Devnoor Singh, Civil Judge (Junior Division); Ms. Vishavjyoti, Civil Judge (Junior Division); Ms. Vaishnavi Sikka, Civil Judge (Junior Division); Sh. K.S. Sullar, Presiding Officer, Industrial Tribunal; Sh. Kuljit Pal Singh, Chairman, Permanent Lok Adalat (PUS); Sh. Sanjeev Dutt Sharma, President, District Consumer Forum besides four benches Revenue Officers.
At Sub-Division, Kharar, 7 benches presided over by Ms. Geeta Rani, Civil Judge (Junior Division); Ms. Sudipa Kaur, Civil Judge (Jr. Divn.) and Ms. Manzra Dutta, Civil Judge (Jr. Divn), as well as four Revenue Officers and 6 benches at Sub-Division, Derabassi of Sh. Ramesh Kumar, Civil Judge (Junior Division); Ms. Manjot Kaur, Civil Judge (Jr. Divn.) and four benches of Revenue Officers were constituted for National Lok Adalat.
For the successful organization of this National Lok Adalat, Sh. Harpal Singh, District & Sessions Judge had called various meetings of judicial officers, 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 maximum efforts for disposal of the same in the Pre-Lok Adalats and National Lok Adalat. Baljinder Singh Maan, Secretary, District Legal Services Authority, SAS Nagar informed that in this National Lok Adalat, 15478 cases were taken up out of which 9973 cases were disposed of by virtue of compromise and awards of Rs.75,91,93,270/- were passed by the different Lok Adalat benches.
He further disclosed that 12 couples who were living separately and litigating against each other were reunited in the National Lok Adalat with the efforts of Sh. Barjinder Pal Singh, Principal Judge, Family Court, SAS Nagar who organized counseling sessions for them by holding pre-lok adalats as a result of which they finally agreed to live together by resolving their all disputes and differences.
Bal Mukand Sharma, a renowned Punjabi comedian also rendered his services in the Lok Adalat bench of Family Court and persuaded many couples to settle their matter amicably to save the institution of marriage and future of their children. The reunited couples were felicitated with one sapling each and were motivated to grow the plant and maintain good relationship.
Amongst reunited couples, a husband and wife who had been living separately for the 11 years and were in litigation, agreed to live together resolving their all disputes which is termed as the best success story of the first National Lok Adalat of the year 2023.