14,297 settled at Lok Adalat in district

Patiala, March 9

National Lok Adalat pertaining to all types of cases (except non-compoundable criminal cases) was held here under the supervision of District and Sessions Judge-cum- Chairperson, District Legal Services Authority, Patiala, Rupinderjit Chahal.

At the adalat, 32 Benches, including 19 in Patiala, five in Rajpura, three in Nabha and Samana each, were constituted. One Bench was constituted at the Revenue Court of the district for the settlement of cases pertaining to mutation and partition etc. Besides, one Bench was also constituted at the women cell to resolve the cases through mutual settlement prior to registration of cases in matrimonial disputes. During the adalat, 36,162 cases were taken up under various categories and 14,297 cases settled through mutual compromise.

Surinderpal Kaur, Additional District and Sessions Judge, Patiala, accompanied by Manni Arora, Secretary, District Legal Services Authority, actively engaged with the Benches and encouraged the parties involved to seek an amicable resolution to their disputes.

Manni Arora highlighted the numerous advantages of Lok Adalats. Once a case is resolved at a Lok Adalat, its decision becomes final and cannot be appealed. “Additionally, any court fee previously paid by the parties are refunded. This process ensures a swift resolution of disputes, as per mutually agreed terms of the parties involved, leading to a beneficial outcome for all. The primary goal of the Lok Adalats is to foster amicable settlements through compromise, ultimately saving time, money and mitigating personal animosity between the disputing parties,” she said.