Srinagar: About 3500 cases were settled amicably during National Lok Adalat held across Jammu and Kashmir, an official said here on Sunday.
“As the entire citizenry including the litigants are in deep mental stress due to ill surge in COVID-19 Pandemic, J&K Legal Services Authority under the stewardship of Chief Justice, High Court of J&K & Patron-in-Chief J&K & Ladakh Legal Services Authorities, Justice Pankaj Mithal, and under the guidance of Executive Chairman J&K Legal Services Authority, Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey and Executive Chairman, Ladakh Legal Services Authority, Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur, organized National Lok Adalat throughout J&K on Saturday,” he said.
He said this National Lok Adalat was organized in all the Districts of J&K to achieve the goal of Access to Justice for all and to help the poor litigants tide over their financial problems and untold mental stress.
“As per the information received from the districts, a total number of 5400 cases taken up by benches in the day long National Lok Adalat at various courts across the Union Territory,” he said.
Out of this, he said 3500 cases were disposed off and an amount of over Rs 21 crore was awarded as compensation/ settlement amount in civil, criminal, labour disputes, Electricity and Water Bills cases, Land Acquisition, Family matters, cheque dishonor and Bank Recovery cases.
Giving details about Kashmir division, he said a National Lok Adalat program was held on Saturday under the Chairmanship of Pr District & Sessions Judge Budgam, Mohammad Ashraf Malik at Court Complex Budgam, Chadoora, Chari sharief, Magam and Beerwah in which cases as per NALSA direction were fixed.
“During the program, Six Benches were constituted to take up the cases for amicable settlement,” he said.
The National Lok Adalat was held at district Kupwara by the District Legal Services Authority Kupwara.
“A total of 167 cases were taken up before seven benches constituted by Pr District and Sessions Judge/Chairman District Legal Services Authority Kupwara Tasleem Arif, across district Kupwara in the court complexes of Kupwara, Handwara, Sogam and Tangdhar,” he said.
He said 101 cases pending in various courts were disposed off by amicable settlements which even led to settlement of Rs 2, 53,639 as compensation and fine. “As many as 24 Pre-Litigation cases were settled including bank recovery and public utility services in the National Lok Adalat,” he said.
He said members of bar, revenue officers and bank managers, and people at large participated in the National Lok Adalat through Virtual means and physically on need basis after observing all SOPs of the Covid-19.
