Thane: A National Lok Adalat was organized on Sunday, September 9, under the guidance of Chief District and Sessions Judge, Thane, and Chairman of Thane District Legal Services Authority, Abhay Mantri, and Secretary Ishwar Suryavanshi, where a total of 37,362 cases were settled, resulting in a total compromise of over 288 crore.
Increasing pressure on courts
Given the increasing pressure on the courts, it is imperative to resolve pending cases. By settling these cases in the National People's Court, parties receive immediate justice, and court pending cases are disposed of more expeditiously. This appeal received a positive response from parties, lawyers, government and semi-government departments, as well as bank officers and employees. Ishwar Suryavanshi reported that 20,238 pending cases were resolved. Once again, it has been demonstrated that the National Lok Adalat is an effective means of addressing people's problems.
Compensation totaling Rs 35.9 crore was approved in 382 motor accident cases. Notably, one motor accident claim in Thane headquarters received an amount of Rs. 65 lakh, and another case received Rs. 60 lakh, the highest compensation amounts awarded to victims. In several other motor accident claims, efforts to reach a conciliation through the Lok Adalat were successful, as reported by Suryavanshi.
This Lok Adalat also saw the amicable settlement of 159 matrimonial cases.
Significant amount of tax arrears recovered
Significant progress was made in recovering tax arrears for Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) and other Municipal Corporations in Thane district.
In cases that were pending, an amount of more than Rs 237 crore was settled. Additionally, 17,124 cases were resolved before admission, with a settlement amount of Rs 50.23 crore in pre-filed cases.
For the first time in this Lok Adalat, 288 cases were settled by the Debts Recovery Tribunal (DRT) authority, with a total settlement amount of over Rs 127 crore.
This Lok Adalat accorded special priority to the pending cases of prisoners detained in jail. In this public court, there was a positive response to the confession of minor criminal offenses, with nearly 15,856 accused confessing to their crimes before the court and paying fines.
Successful trials of the e-filing system were conducted in the Lok Adalat at the Belapur Court. This system facilitated the disposal of cases electronically, from filing to settlement, eliminating the need for physical documents. A total of 171 cases were resolved using this e-system, which not only saved time and money but also contributed to environmental conservation due to its paperless nature.
The National Lok Adalat received an enthusiastic response in Thane district, leading to the resolution of numerous cases that had been pending for 10 to 15 years.
454 bank recovery case resolved
A total of 454 cases of bank recovery were resolved before filing, resulting in an achievement of Rs 3.06 lakh crore. Furthermore, 1,450 pending cases under section 138 of the Act were settled, with a settlement amount of around Rs 26.74 crore.
Before filing of property tax/revenue, 6,590 cases were resolved, collecting a settlement amount of Rs 37.05 crore. Similarly, 2,690 cases were settled before filing of water tax, totaling 1 billion 82 lakhs 84 thousand and 28 rupees. The Office of the Inspector General of State Excise in Thane delivered convictions in 74 cases, collecting a total amount of Rs. 18,41,000 from the accused.
Additionally, approximately 21 under-trial detainees in jail were released through this Lok Adalat. All Judicial Officers in Thane District, the President of Lawyers Association Prashant Kadam, as well as officers from Thane Lawyers Association, legal expert members, government prosecutors, police administration, insurance company officials, court staff, and computer room staff, contributed to the successful resolution of a substantial number of pending cases, as reported by Suryavanshi.
