Madhya Pradesh SLSA Holds Special Jail Lok Adalat Across State; Long-Pending Cases Resolved, Inmates Released

The programme was inaugurated by Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva in the presence of Justice Anand Pathak, Administrative Judge of the High Court of Madhya Pradesh, Bench at Gwalior and Chairman, High Court Legal Services Committee, along with other companion judges.

Addressing the gathering, Chief Justice Sachdeva observed that a person is not born a criminal and that circumstances, choices and fate may lead individuals on such a path. He stated that every individual has the capacity for change and urged inmates to utilise the opportunity for introspection, learn from past mistakes, acquire new skills and build a better future. He further observed that Lok Adalats are not merely forums for dispute resolution but also a step towards ensuring that inmates re-enter society as responsible individuals.

Justice Anand Pathak stated that the initiative provides an opportunity to inmates by ensuring access to justice within jail premises. He observed that the objective of Lok Adalats is not merely to dispose of cases but to identify and resolve the root causes of disputes. He further stated that efforts must be made towards establishing a dispute-free society by 2047.

During the Lok Adalat, in a case pending since 2016, the complainant visited the jail premises and arrived at a compromise with the accused, following which the Lok Adalat bench passed an order directing the immediate release of the accused.

In another case, where both the accused and the complainant were lodged in Central Jail, Gwalior, the dispute was amicably settled, resulting in acquittal of the accused.

In a railway-related offence, an accused who had been in custody for about 30 months was released through plea bargaining.

Various categories of cases, including plea bargaining cases, compoundable criminal cases, petty offence cases, summary cases, civil and matrimonial matters, as well as cases under relevant statutory provisions, were taken up.

The event was attended by Justice G.S. Ahluwalia, Justice Milind Ramesh Phadke, Justice Ashish Shroti, Justice Amit Seth, Justice Anand Singh Bahrawat, and Justice Rajesh Kumar Gupta.

Also present were Registrar General Dharminder Singh, Special Director General (Prison & Correctional Services) G. Akheto Sema, Principal District & Sessions Judge Lalit Kishore, Principal District Judge (Inspection) Zakir Hussain, Member Secretary MPSLSA Suman Shrivastava, Principal Registrar Rajeev K. Pal, Registrar Naveen Kumar Sharma, Additional Secretary Arvind Shrivastava, Collector Ruchika Chauhan, Superintendent of Police Dharmveer Singh, and Jail Superintendent Vidit Sirvaiya, along with other judicial officers and officials.

Judicial officers, presiding officers, members of Jail Lok Adalats, Secretaries of District Legal Services Authorities, District Legal Aid Officers and jail superintendents across the State participated virtually.

The programme was conducted by Member Secretary Suman Shrivastava, while the vote of thanks was delivered by Special Director General G. Akheto Sema.