More than 12.45 lakh cases worth the settlement amount of over Rs2071.94 crore were resolved in the first National Lok Adalat of the year, held on March 3. The National Lok Adalat was held by the Maharashtra State Legal Services Authority (MSLSA), Mumbai, under the aegis of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA).
“More than 11.95 lakh pre-litigation cases and 1,11,352 pending cases have been settled in Lok Adalat all over Maharashtra,” Milind Todkar, the MSLSA deputy secretary said.
Moreover, 49,879 pending cases have also been disposed of in a special drive, undertaken by all courts for five days prior to the day of Lok Adalat. A total of 1,61,231 pending cases were disposed of, Todkar added. Interestingly, 1,520 matrimonial disputes were settled, with 302 couples reunited.
In all, 3,582 motor accident claims were settled, which included a dispute pending before the Amravati district court since 1995. Another case was settled through hybrid mode in which the settlement amount was Rs2.92 crore.
In order to ensure a comprehensive outcome in this Lok Adalat, Justice Nitin Jamdar, who is also the executive chairman of MSLSA, stressed upon conducting pre-Lok Adalat sittings. Accordingly, many pre-counselling sessions were held well before the National Lok Adalat, so that the parties got adequate time and opportunity to enter into dialogue with opposite parties. “As a result, maximum disputes were settled across the state, including Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal, matrimonial, cheque bounce cases and other civil cases,” Todkar said.
The figures of this Lok Adalat are indicative that alternative dispute redressal is not only effective but also an appropriate mechanism for redressal, which creates a win-win situation for all.
The settlement under Lok Adalat has got statutory sanctity under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, where the awards (decision) arrived at have the effect of a deemed decree of a civil court, which paves the way to attain finality and is binding on all parties to the settlement, Todkar said. He added that when matters are settled in the Lok Adalat, the parties get a refund of the entire court fees.
