54 benches set up across Ludhiana, Jagraon, Samrala, Khanna and Payal; awards worth ₹260 crore passed
More than 1.23 lakh cases were settled and awards worth over ₹260.34 crore were passed during the National Lok Adalat organised across Ludhiana district on Saturday.
The Lok Adalat was held at the district courts in Ludhiana and the courts in Jagraon, Samrala, Khanna and Payal and the cases were taken up for settlement through mutual consent and compromise.
According to district and sessions judge-cum-chairperson, district legal services authority, Ludhiana, Harpreet Kaur Randhawa, 44 benches were constituted at the district headquarters, while 10 benches were set up across the four subdivisions.
Among the matters settled was Amandeep Kaur versus Sukhveer Singh, which had remained pending for five years. The case was resolved through the efforts of the district and sessions judge. Another matter, Axis Bank versus Pargat Singh, was also settled through mutual consent with the intervention of the district and sessions judge.
Randhawa said Lok Adalats facilitate speedy disposal of cases through mutual compromise. She said the awards passed have the status of decrees of civil courts and are final under the law, with no further appeal, while court fees are also refunded in cases settled through Lok Adalats.
The National Lok Adalat was organised under the guidance of justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra, chief justice of the Punjab and Haryana high court and patron-in-chief of the Punjab State Legal Services Authority, and in accordance with the directions of Jagdeep Kaur Virk, executive member secretary of the Punjab State Legal Services Authority.
The next National Lok Adalat will be held on December 12, while a special Lok Adalat for cases under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act will be organised on November 21.
People seeking information about Lok Adalats and other legal services can contact the toll-free helpline 15100.
Additional district and sessions judge Rajnish, civil judges (junior division) Gaurav Gupta and Amit Bakshi, and advocate Rajnish Lakhanpal also attended the session.