Patiala National Lok Adalat resolves 15K cases

A National Lok Adalat was held today in District Patiala, resolving a wide range of cases, excluding non-compoundable criminal matters. The event was conducted under the supervision of Rupinderjit Chahal, District and Sessions Judge-cum-Chairperson of the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), and Muneesh Arora, Additional District and Sessions Judge, Patiala.

For the event, 29 Lok Adalat benches were established across the district, including 18 in Patiala, five in Rajpura, two in Nabha and two in Samana. A dedicated bench was also set up in the Revenue Court of Patiala to address cases related to mutation, partition and similar matters.

One of the key highlights of the Lok Adalat was the resolution of 176 family dispute cases pending in the Family Courts of Principal Judge Sandeep Kumar Singla and Additional Principal Judge Deepika Singh. Additionally, a bench was formed in the Women’s Cell in Patiala to settle matrimonial disputes before they could be formally registered as cases.

In total, 37,011 cases were taken up across various categories, with 15,255 cases successfully settled through mutual compromise. These settlements involved a total sum of Rs 45,97,85,201.

Navdeep Kaur Gill, Civil Judge (Senior Division) and In-charge of DLSA, Patiala, highlighted the numerous advantages of Lok Adalats. She emphasised that once a case was resolved through the Lok Adalat process, the decision was final and could not be appealed and any court fees paid by the parties were refunded.