A man who was confined to a wheelchair after a road accident was awarded Rs 25 lakh as compensation during a National Lok Adalat session here on Saturday.
A total of 1.1 lakh cases were settled during the National Lok Adalat and awards worth nearly Rs 200 crore were passed.
The motor accident case relates to a complaint filed by Vicky Kumar Deepanshu, who suffered permanent disability and was confined to a wheelchair.
During the Lok Adalat proceedings, the respondent, ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Ltd, through its lawyer Gurjit Kalyan, undertook to release the compensation amount within 45 days through a cheque.
The National Lok Adalat was organised across the Sessions Division under the supervision of Sessions Judge Harpreet Kaur Randhawa.
Randhawa, along with Chief Judicial Magistrate Himanshu Arora, District Bar Association (DBA) president Vipan Saggar and DBA secretary Himanshu Walia, inspected the functioning of the Benches.
Divulging details, Randhawa said 48 Benches were constituted at the district headquarters with the objective of resolving pending and pre-litigation disputes through amicable settlements.
Another 10 Benches were set up in the sub-divisions of Jagraon, Samrala, Khanna and Payal.
She said more than 1,15,000 cases were taken up during the National Lok Adalat, out of which over 1,10,000 cases were disposed of through compromise and mutual settlements. Awards amounting to Rs 199.77 crore were passed during the proceedings.
Among the notable settlements was a 12-year-old case pertaining to the execution of an order. In Piara Singh vs Harbans Kaur, the decree holder withdrew the execution petition after a compromise between the parties, securing the fruits of a decree originally passed in 2011.
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, with Sanjeev Batra as president, settled 25 out of 37 cases placed before it. Compensation worth
Rs 51.93 lakh was awarded.
Highlighting the importance of Lok Adalats, Randhawa said such forums ensure speedy and inexpensive justice for litigants while reducing the burden of pendency on courts. She said the awards passed by Lok Adalats carry the status of a decree of a civil court and attain finality as no appeal lies against such awards under law.
She emphasised disputes resolved through Lok Adalats promote harmony between parties since settlements are reached through mutual consent and compromise. Litigants also benefit from refund of court fee in appropriate cases, she added.
Randhawa said the next National Lok Adalat will be on September 12 and a Special Lok Adalat for cases under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act has been scheduled for July 18. She appealed to the public to avail legal aid and other services being provided by the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), and said people may contact toll-free helpline number 15100 for more information and assistance.
