The National Lok Adalat organised under the aegis of the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), Amritsar, on Saturday witnessed the amicable settlement of 22,930 cases across Amritsar, Ajnala and Baba Bakala Sahib.
District and Sessions Judge-cum-Chairperson, DLSA, Jatinder Kaur and Amardeep Singh Bains, Secretary, DLSA, said that for the smooth conduct of proceedings, 15 Benches were constituted in Amritsar district courts, while two Benches each were set up at Ajnala and Baba Bakala Sahib. They said Lok Adalat saw a huge participation from litigants, advocates, judicial officers, banks, insurance companies, government departments and other stakeholders.
According to officials, a total of 24,554 cases were taken up during the Lok Adalat, of which 22,930 were settled through compromise and conciliation. Settlements amounting to nearly Rs 50.79 crore were awarded through various Benches.
Of the total, Amritsar district alone accounted for the settlement of 21,950 cases involving Rs 48.61 crore. At Ajnala, 533 cases were settled involving Rs 1.30 crore, while Baba Bakala Sahib recorded settlement of 447 cases involving Rs 87.08 lakh.
The district administration, the police department and the Women Counselling Cell also played an active role in facilitating settlements, particularly in matrimonial and family disputes, said DLSA authorities.
In one matter pending since 2019 under the Domestic Violence Act, an elderly couple reconciled before the court of Priyanka Sharma, Civil Judge (Junior Division). Following counselling efforts, the husband and son assured financial and medical support to the petitioner, who agreed to return to her matrimonial home.
In another case pending since 2022, a tenancy dispute was amicably resolved before the court of Kirandeep Kaur, Civil Judge (Junior Division), with the defendant agreeing to return the security amount to the plaintiff. A recovery dispute involving Rs 7.5 lakh was also settled before the court of Arun Thapa, Civil Judge (Junior Division), where both parties agreed to a compromise amount of Rs 6.6 lakh. The court directed monthly deductions from the defendant’s salary for payment of the settled amount.
Besides these, several family, rent and bank recovery disputes were resolved through mediation before different benches, reducing prolonged litigation and restoring cordial relations between the parties.
Speaking on the occasion, Jatinder Kaur said Lok Adalats had emerged as an effective and people-friendly mechanism to ensure accessible and speedy justice.
