The National Legal Services Authority in its first Lok Adalat of the year heard and closed over 77 lakhs cases across India, including a 53-year-old property dispute in Karnataka's Mysuru.
Justice UU Lalit, the Executive Chairman of the National Legal Services Authority, or NALSA, and who will also be the next Chief Justice of India from August this year, said on the success of the Lok Adalat: "Better legal aid will instil confidence in people and quick and affordable access is key to the success of Lok Adalat."
On Saturday, NALSA held the first Lok Adalat of this year in a hybrid mode. Among the cases that were resolved was a partition suit of the family of a T Lakshminarayana Upadhyay.
The suit was filed in 1967 claiming share in property, including share up to Rs 64 lakh. The final decree proceedings started in 1982. There were 40 parties and 10 lawyers. The conciliation proceedings were based on the principle that the female members of the family are equally entitled as the male members. Justice Lalit also spoke with the parties in the partition suit online.
Similarly, in Rajasthan, a 30-year-old family property dispute was resolved amicably, with the son who filed the case touching his mother's feet.
In Maharashtra's Solapur, the Lok Adalat Panel was successful in resolving a 50-year-old criminal case filed in 1972.
More than 29 lakh cases were heard and closed in July 2021, 42 lakhs cases in September, and 54 lakhs cases in December last year.
The Lok Adalat is an alternative dispute redressal mechanism where cases pending before courts or at pre-litigation stage can be settled or a compromise can be reached. Lok Adalats are conducted by the NALSA.
The motive behind organising Lok Adalats is to lessen the burden on conventional courts. The ruling of the Lok Adalats is binding on all parties and no appeals can be made. But a party can go on to start legal proceedings before a court if it is not satisfied with the result.
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