As per schedule of National Legal Services Authority, New Delhi and under the guidance of Mr Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia, Judge, Punjab and Haryana High Court and Executive Chairman, Punjab State Legal Services Authority and Mr. Justice Anupinder Singh Grewal, Judge, Punjab and Haryana High Court and Administrative Judge, Sessions Division, SAS Nagar, National Lok Adalat was held in the leadership of Harpal Singh, District & Sessions Judge-cum-Chairman, District Legal Services Authority, SAS Nagar.
In this Lok Adalat, a total of 18350 pre-litigative and pending 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.
Sh. Manjinder Singh, Member Secretary, Punjab State Legal Services Authority, SAS Nagar visited the Lok Adalat benches and made the general public aware about the benefits of Lok Adalat and that the award passed in Lok Adalat is final and binding upon the parties. It is non-appealable and the court fee is refunded.
During the National Lok Adalat, 14 benches were constituted at District Headquarter which were being presided over by Sh. Krishan Kumar Singla, Additional District & Sessions Judge; Sh. Barjinder Pal Singh, Principal Judge, Family Court; Ms. Harpreet Kaur, Civil Judge (Senior Division); Sh. Anish Goyal, Chief Judicial Magistrate; 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. Neha Jindal, Civil Judge (Junior Division); Sh. K.S. Sullar, Presiding Officer, Industrial Tribunal; Ms. Gurmeet Kaur, Chairman, Permanent Lok Adalat (PUS); Sh. S.K. Aggarwal, President, District Consumer Commission; Sh. Kuldeep Singh, Tehsildar, SAS Nagar and Sh. Maninder Singh, Naib Tehsildar, Banur.
Besides this, 4 benches at Sub-Division, Kharar of Ms. Geeta Rani, Civil Judge (Jr. Divn.); Ms. Sudipa Kaur, Civil Judge (Jr. Divn.); Sh. Jaswinder Singh, Tehsildar and Mrs. Jasbir Kaur, Naib Tehsildar and 3 benches at Sub-Division, Derabassi of Ms. Pavleen Singh, Additional Civil Judge (Sr. Divn.); Ms. Manjot Kuar, Civil Judge (Jr. Divn.) and Sh. Harinderjit Singh, Naib Tehsildar had been 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.
Sh. Baljinder Singh Maan, Secretary, District Legal Services Authority, SAS Nagar informed that in this National Lok Adalat, 18350 cases were taken up, out of which 15110 cases were disposed of by virtue of compromise and awards of an amount of Rs.1,03,85,54,961/- were passed by the different Lok Adalat benches.He also informed that five couples who were living separately and litigating against each other were reunited in the National Lok Adalat with the efforts of Presiding Officer and its Members.
The counseling sessions for their settlement were organized in the pre-Lok Adalats and after such counseling, they finally agreed to live together by resolving their all disputes and differences. They were felicitated with one sapling each and were motivated to grow the plant and maintain good relationship.