Over 15,33,186 cases decided in single day in third National Lok Adalat

The third National Lok Adalat of the year held across the country on Saturday decided 15,33,186 cases in a single day in both virtual and hybrid mode under the aegis of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) and the guidance of Justice UU Lalit.

The next National Lok Adalat will be organised in December 2021, said a NALSA press statement.

During the last National Lok Adalat, a total number of 27.06 Lakhs cases were disposed of by all 37 States and Union Territories. The Executive Chairman, NALSA Justice UU Lalit had himself actively monitored the working and functioning of the Lok Adalats through virtual conferencing, further said a press statement.

Continuing the trend today as well, Justice Lalit virtually joined the ongoing proceedings of the benches constituted at District levels and remote areas in several States/UTs starting from Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Kerela and Tamil Nadu, the press statement said.

It is for the first time that a virtual connection has been made up to the Taluka Level i.e., Pindwara in Sirohi District, which is a tribal area of Rajasthan; Keshkal in Kondagaon District, which is a Naxalite affected area of Chhattisgarh, said a statement issued by NALSA.

Justice Lalit interacted with more than 50 presiding judges of Lok Adalat Benches of these States and welcomed their suggestions with respect to the efficient disposal of cases through Lok Adalats.

Justice Lalit appreciated the work done at the ground level by the presiding officers and laid emphasis on the aspect that National Lok Adalats are imperative to reduce the huge pendency in the justice system of the country.

Across the country, the latest data available till 4:00 pm indicates that 33,12,389 cases were taken up out of which 18,50,067 were pre-litigation cases and 14,62,322 were pending cases.

"Over 15,33,186 cases were disposed of in a single day, indicating a huge achievement and success for the Legal Services Authorities. It was on account of the keen participation by the stakeholders that the Legal Services Authorities have been able to achieve this huge disposal," according to the statement from NALSA.

It added, "With the rise in pending cases due to the ongoing pandemic, NALSA has shifted to dynamic preparation strategies for the National Lok Adalats. For today's National Lok Adalat, a consultative and interactive meeting was organised on September 6, wherein Justice Lalit had stressed upon various strategies for successfully conducting the National Lok Adalat and had welcomed the suggestions put forth by the Executive Chairpersons of SLSAs."

NALSA further directed the LSAs to observe the COVID-19 protocol prevalent in the States/UTs as per the guidelines issued by the government of India as well as State governments. The National Lok Adalat has been postponed in Maharashtra, Odisha, Karnataka and Goa due to ongoing pandemic and other local circumstances which will be held on September 25, 16, 30 and 25 respectively.

( With inputs from ANI )