143 cases settled in Lok Adalat at High Court, Rs 6.25 crore awarded

The National Lok Adalat at the Punjab and Haryana High Court today saw 143 cases settled out of 443 listed, with compensation worth Rs 6,25,61,176 awarded, mostly in motor accident claim cases.

The exercise was held under the supervision of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu, Patron-in-Chief of the High Court Legal Services Committee, and Justice Anupinder Singh Grewal, Chairman of the Committee. Ten Lok Adalat benches were constituted to hear matters suitable for settlement and promote amicable resolution between parties.

The benches were headed by Justice Sandeep Moudgil, Justice Alok Jain, Justice Sudeepti Sharma, Justice Deepinder Singh Nalwa, Justice Mandeep Pannu, Justice Amarinder Singh Grewal, Justice Parmod Goyal, Justice Rupinderjit Chahal, Justice Aaradhana Sawhney and Justice Ramesh Kumari.

Of the 443 cases taken up, 143 were successfully disposed of through compromise. The bulk of these cases related to motor accident claims.

The Lok Adalat formed part of the nationwide initiative of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) to reduce pendency and encourage alternative dispute resolution. It provides a cost-effective and expeditious forum for litigants to avoid prolonged litigation.

Expressing gratitude to judges, lawyers, litigants, and court staff for their cooperation, High Court Legal Services Committee Secretary Swati Sehgal said more cases would be identified in future so that higher numbers could be settled through Lok Adalats.