Chandigarh, August 13
Under the visionary leadership of Justice Tejinder Singh Dhindsa, Judge, Punjab & Haryana High Court and Executive Chairman of Punjab State Legal Services Authority, the National Lok Adalat was organized on Saturday throughout the State of Punjab. In this mega event, total 236096 cases were taken up through total 473 Lok Adalat Benches.
The Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT), District Consumer Redressal Forums and the Revenue Courts of the State have held the Lok Adalat benches to settle the pending disputes. Various matters relating to matrimonial disputes, property disputes, cheque bounce cases, Labour matters, criminal compoundable cases, cases pending in DRT/Consumer Forums/Revenue Courts, Cancellation/untraced reports of various FIRs etc. pending since long, were taken up. Apart from this, various awards were passed with the consent of the parties.
One of the unique initiative taken up by the Punjab State Legal Services Authority throughout the State under which Special Camp Courts were held in all the jails of Punjab by the Secretaries of District Legal Services Authorities on the day of National Lok Adalat.
On occasion of the National Lok Adalat, Sh. Arun Gupta, Member Secretary, Punjab State Legal Services Authority has specifically chosen the Central Jail of Patiala for the visit due to the fact that undertrials of districts Patiala and SAS Nagar are lodged in the Central Jail, Patiala. The Secretaries of District Legal Services Authorities, Patiala as well as SAS Nagar simultaneously hold the Camp Courts in the Central Jail Patiala.
Sh. Arun Gupta along with Sh. Tarsem Mangla, District & Sessions Judge-cum-Chairperson, Patiala also visited the office of the DLSA, Patiala and the various Lok Adalat Benches of Patiala to overview the working of the Lok Adalat Benches.
On this occasion, the people have also been made aware about the Toll Free Number 1968 for any kind of legal assistance available to all the needy persons particularly the marginalized segments. The Front Offices set up at District and Taluka level in the premises of the courts, are in existence to guide the litigants for obtaining free and effective legal aid.
Mr. Arun Gupta has urged the general public to settle their grievances amicably in the Lok Adalats.
