546 cases settled at Lok Adalat

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, July 14

A National Lok Adalat passed awards worth over Rs 8 crore at the District Courts Complex here on Saturday. It took up 2,138 cases, of which 546 were disposed. Eight benches, including subdivisions, Bathinda, were constituted by the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA).

Cases relating to pending civil and criminal matters, including appeals along with pre-litigative cases, were taken up at the National Lok Adalat held at the District Courts here.

A total of 120 cheque-bouncing cases were disposed of by a special bench constituted for this purpose. It was informed that litigants could urge for taking up their pending cases at the monthly Lok Adalat, which is held on the last working Saturday of every month.

Under Section 19 of The Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, the Lok Adalats are organised to decide 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 the court fee is refunded. No appeal can be filed against this award. The Lok Adalat is having all the powers of a civil court so far as summoning of witnesses, production of document, etc, is concerned.

A Permanent Lok Adalat has been established in the ADR Centre, District Court, Bathinda, which primarily deals with public utility service like transport, telephone, insurance, hospital, supply of power, light and water, Aadhaar card, etc. A dispute of up to Rs 1 crore falling in these areas can be taken up at the Permanent Lok Adalat.