National Lok Adalat At Punjab & Haryana High Court Settles 225 Cases, Awards ₹9.44 Crore In Motor Accident Claims

As part of the nationwide initiative of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), a National Lok Adalat was organised on Saturday at the Punjab and Haryana High Court in coordination with the High Court Legal Services Committee.

The Lok Adalat was conducted under the overall supervision of Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the High Court and Patron-in-Chief of the High Court Legal Services Committee, and Justice Mahabir Singh Sindhu, Chairman of the High Court Legal Services Committee.

Five Lok Adalat benches were constituted to take up cases suitable for amicable settlement, with the objective of encouraging dispute resolution through consensus between the parties. The benches were headed by Justice Sandeep Moudgil, Justice Sudeepti Sharma, Justice Deepinder Singh Nalwa, Justice Ramesh Kumari and Justice Ramesh Chander Dimri.

A total of 439 cases were listed before these benches for consideration. Out of these, 225 cases were successfully disposed of through mutual settlements. Most of the matters settled during the Lok Adalat pertained to motor accident claims.

The settlements resulted in a total award amount of ₹9,44,18,296 to the claimants.

The National Lok Adalat is a recurring initiative of NALSA aimed at reducing the backlog of cases and promoting alternative dispute resolution mechanisms. It provides litigants with an accessible, cost-effective and expeditious platform to settle disputes without undergoing prolonged litigation.

The High Court Legal Services Committee expressed gratitude to the judges, members of the Bar, litigating parties and court staff for their cooperation in ensuring the smooth conduct of the Lok Adalat.

According to Swati Sehgal, Secretary of the High Court Legal Services Committee, the Committee intends to identify more suitable matters in the future so that a greater number of cases can be resolved through National Lok Adalats.