Over 8K cases resolved at National Lok Adalat in Kapurthala

The National Lok Adalat held in Kapurthala today saw the successful resolution of 8,227 cases, with awards amounting to Rs 8,03,41,923. The event was conducted under the supervision of Justice Arun Palli, Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and Executive Chairman, alongside Manjinder Singh, Member Secretary of the Punjab State Legal Services Authority, Mohali, and Harpal Singh, District and Sessions Judge, who also serves as Chairman of the District Legal Services Authority, Kapurthala.

To manage the large number of cases, multiple benches were set up across the district. Eight benches were established at the District Court in Kapurthala, while three were allocated in Sub-Division Phagwara, two in Sub-Division Sultanpur Lodhi and one in Sub-Division Bhulath. Additionally, eight revenue benches were constituted to handle matters falling under their jurisdiction.

The Lok Adalat took up a diverse range of cases, including criminal compoundable matters, cheque bounce cases under Section 138 of the NI Act, bank recovery disputes and Motor Accident Claim Tribunal (MACT) cases. Labour disputes, electricity and water bill-related issues, matrimonial cases, land acquisition matters, service-related disputes, revenue conflicts and other civil cases — both pending and pre-litigative — were also addressed.

Chief Judicial Magistrate-cum-Secretary of the District Legal Services Authority, Kapurthala, Rajwant Kaur, highlighted the significant benefits of resolving disputes through Lok Adalats. She explained that such settlements save both time and money, as decisions made in Lok Adalat cannot be challenged in higher courts. Moreover, in civil cases resolved through this mechanism, the court fee is refunded, offering financial relief to the parties involved. The enthusiasm among litigants was palpable, with many opting for swift and amicable dispute resolution.

A total of 9,354 cases were taken up by the Judicial and Revenue Courts during the Lok Adalat, of which 8,227 were successfully settled. The event was presided over by senior judicial officers, including Additional District and Sessions Judge Sanjeev Joshi, Principal Judge of the Family Court Rana Kanwardeep Kaur Chahal, and Additional District and Sessions Judge Gurmeet Tiwana. Other presiding officers included Civil Judge (Senior Division) Suman Pathak, Chief Judicial Magistrate Vinita Luthra, Additional Civil Judge (Senior Division) Navjit Pal Kaur, Civil Judge (Junior Division) Bhawna Bharti, and Mukesh Bansal, Chairman of the Permanent Lok Adalat (Public Utility Services), Kapurthala.

As the event concluded, Rajwant Kaur announced that the next National Lok Adalat is scheduled for May 10. She encouraged more litigants to take advantage of this alternative dispute resolution system, emphasising its effectiveness in providing fair and speedy justice.