Over 25,000 cases worth Rs 69.5 crore settled at National Lok Adalat in Patiala

The National Lok Adalat was held in Patiala district on Saturday.

Held under the guidance of Rupinderjit Chahal, District and Sessions Judge-cum- Chairperson, District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), Patiala, the Lok Adalat covered all types of cases except non-compoundable criminal cases.

A total of 47 benches were constituted across the district, with 28 in Patiala, 6 in Rajpura, 5 in Nabha and 6 in Samana. Additionally, one bench was set up in the Revenue Court to handle mutation and partition cases. Another bench was constituted at the women cell in Patiala to resolve matrimonial disputes before formal case registration.

Out of 37,914 cases taken up under different categories, 25,059 were settled through mutual compromise, involving a total amount of Rs 69,50,84,334.

Chahal, accompanied by Amandeep Kamboj, Chief Judicial Magistrate-cum- Secretary, DLSA Patiala and Manni Arora, Chief Judicial Magistrate, actively engaged with the benches and encouraged parties to settle disputes amicably.

Highlighting the benefits of Lok Adalats, Amandeep noted that decisions reached in Lok Adalats are final and binding, with no provision for appeal. Additionally, any court fees previously paid by the parties are refunded.