Lok Adalat on Feb 6,to hear 1.5 lakh cases

The Lok Adalat will be held in all civil,criminal,industrial and family courts,debt recovery tribunals and charity commissioner offices in the state.

“We have started coordinating with the police department to ensure that summons are issued to the parties involved in a particular case that has the potential to be settled in a Lok Adalat well in advance,” Kachre said.

Judge R H Mohammad,member secretary,Pune District Legal Services Authority (PDLSA) said at least 50,000 cases from Pune district will be put up for settlement in the Maha Lok Adalat.

“We are keeping a target of settling about 50 per cent of these cases,” he said.

According to Mohammad,the PDLSA is trying to acquire permission from the Bombay High Court to allow regular working of the court for non-compoundable cases.

“Non-cognisable cases,in which parties are ready to compromise,may be done with the regular court proceedings in the presence of the regular judge,” he said.

Pre-litigations,cases under the Negotiable Instruments Act,Motor Vehicle Act,Juvenile Justice Act,matrimonial disputes and compoundable cases will be put up for hearing in this mega Lok Adalat.

The focus in Lok Adalats is on compromise between the parties involved. When no compromise is reached,the matter goes back to the court. However,if a compromise is reached,an award is made that is binding on the parties and is enforced as a decree of a civil court.

An important aspect is that the award is final and cannot be appealed against,not even under Article 226,because it is a judgment by consent. All proceedings of a Lok Adalat are deemed to be judicial proceedings and every Lok Adalat is deemed to be a civil court.