Over 95K cases settled during National Lok Adalat

As many as 95,902 cases were settled during the National Lok Adalat held at the Judicial Courts in Ludhiana, reflecting an overwhelming response from litigants and the legal fraternity, said officials. The Lok Adalat was organised under the supervision of Harpreet Kaur Randhawa, District and Sessions Judge-cum-Chairperson, District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), Ludhiana.

According to data, 97,455 cases were taken up on the day. The cases resulted in awards of Rs 110.68 crore, the officials added.

In a significant matter of a widow, two cheque bounce cases were heard by the Bench headed by Additional District Judge Barinder Singh Ramana. The parties were in litigation since 2018. The lower court had sentenced Rani Sharma, a resident of Gurugram, to one-year imprisonment each in the two cases. The appeals, filed on October 29, 2024, involved a cheque amount of Rs 30 lakh. Rani was ready to pay Rs 8 lakh whereas the complainant, Meharban Singh, was demanding at least Rs 20 lakh. With the persuasion and intervention of Justice Randhawa, the parties agreed to settle the matter for Rs 11.50 lakh. The woman agreed to pay the settled amount by the next date of hearing, and statements of both parties were recorded.

Another notable settlement was recorded in a matrimonial dispute pending before the court of Principal Judge, Family Court, Raman Kumar. The petition, filed in November 2021, pertained to a marriage solemnised as per Sikh rites. The parties had been living separately since December 17, 2024. With the intervention of Lok Adalat Bench, the dispute was resolved with both sides agreeing to live together and withdraw all litigation.

Several other cases relating to criminal compoundable offences, cheque bounce matters, motor accident claims, matrimonial disputes, land acquisition, money recovery, power bills and matters before the permanent Lok Adalat were taken up and settled.

Sumit Sabharwal, Chief Judicial Magistrate-cum-Secretary, DLSA, Ludhiana, said 39 Benches were constituted at the district level and 10 benches at the sub-divisional level. She said people showed great enthusiasm in resolving their disputes through the Lok Adalat mechanism.

Various benches were headed by Additional Sessions Judges Saru Mehta Kaushik, Rajneesh, Barinder Singh Ramana, Ranjeev Kumar Vishist, Parminder Kaur, Raman Kumar, Amit Thind, Gurpartap Singh, Permanent Lok Adalat Chairperson Balwinder Singh Sandhu and Industrial Tribunal Presiding Officer Kewal Krishan.

Highlighting the benefits of Lok Adalats, the DLSA secretary said disputes resolved through mutual compromise promote peace and harmony, while litigants also benefit from refund of the court fee, making the process both effective and satisfying.