Lok Adalat settles 108 cases

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, May 18

A Lok Adalat on Saturday settled 108 cases taken out of 326 of Rs 2,82,06,449 here.

Kamaljit Lamba, District and Sessions Judge-cum-Chairman, District Legal Services Authority, Bathinda, said litigants could appeal for taking up their pending cases in the monthly Lok Adalat, which is organised on the last working Saturday of every month. The District and Sessions Judge said 17 Benches were constituted, including subdivisions of the district to dispose of the cases.

It is pertinent to mention here that under Section 19 of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, lok adalats are organised to decide on pending cases as well as the cases which are yet to be filed in the court. It means that matters are taken up and efforts are made to arrive at a compromise before it is filed in the court. In this manner, energy, time and money are saved. In case, a compromise is arrived at, an award is passed which is equal to decree of a civil court and court fee is refunded. Then, no appeal can be filed against this award.

A permanent lok adalat has been established in the district court, Bathinda, which primarily deals with public utility services like transport, telephone, insurance, hospital, supply of power, light and water, Aadhaar card. A dispute of up to Rs 1 crore falling in these areas can be taken up at the permanent lok adalat.