14 Benches settle 4,324 cases in Gurdaspur, Batala

Ravi Dhaliwal

Gurdaspur, September 9

A large number of litigants got justice at the National Lok Adalat held simultaneously today in the court complexes of Gurdaspur and Batala. A total of 5,749 cases were taken up for hearing out of which 4,324 were decided at the Lok Adalat.

Fourteen benches, which were jointly constituted for the Gurdaspur district and the Batala sub-divisional courts, decided the cases on the spot. The next Lok Adalat would be held at the same venues on December 9.

Going by today’s events, the event proved to be an efficient alternative dispute resolution mechanism that provided amicable settlement of differences among litigants who otherwise were embroiled in lengthy legal disputes in civil courts.

A majority of cases pertained to Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, in which cases related to dishonoured cheques were taken up. Besides bank recovery, matrimonial, Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal (MACT), labour dispute and revenue cases and issues pertaining to land acquisition were also taken up at the Lok Adalat.

The event was held under the guidance of Rajinder Aggarwal, District Sessions Judge, and chairperson, District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), and Sumit Bhalla, Civil Judge (Senior Division), and Secretary, DLSA.

Judge Aggarwal said, “These Lok Adalats, also known as ‘peoples courts’ have the same powers as are vested in civil courts.” He claimed that such Adalats also had the necessary powers to establish their own dispute resolution mechanism. He added that these courts were considered to be equivalent to civil courts under the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1971.

Judicial officers could be seen impressing upon litigants that decisions given in such courts were final, binding on all the parties and no appeals could be made against these judgments.

“These Adalats are actually forums where disputes that are pending in civil courts or are at the pre-litigation stage are settled amicably,” said a lawyer. Litigants were told that if their cases had been pending in civil courts for a long period they could approach the Secretary, DLSA, to take them of the civil court’s purview and put them in the jurisdiction of the Lok Adalat.

In Pathankot, District and Sessions Judge Jatinder Pal Singh Khurmi, who is also the Chairperson, DLSA, said a similar Lok Adalat was held in the district courts where 3,189 cases were taken up out of which 1,403 were decided at the spot. Pecuniary benefits worth Rs 10.30 crore were passed on to the litigants. In all, 10 benches were constituted, he said.