Dimapur, May 14: As part of their common action plan, the Dimapur District Legal Services Authority (DDLSA) conducted Lok Adalat on MACT, insurance claims, and banks cases on Saturday. During the event, cases worth more than Rs. 1 crore were settled, the organizers informed in a press release that was issued through the media on Saturday.
The Lok Adalat was conducted in the premises of the Dimapur district court. During the event, 65 pending MAC cases were settled through the Lok Adalat. The total amount from the settled cases was Rs. 1,52,55,000, the legal services said.
“The settlement of large number of cases has helped in reducing the pendency, besides benefitting the client. The Lok Adalat has created an opportunity for the common man to get speedy and inexpensive justice, besides helping the court tackle pending cases,” the press release stated.
The DDLSA has expressed appreciation to insurance companies, conciliators, lawyers and the public in general for participating in the Lok Adalat. The public are encouraged to avail the opportunity to bring forward any such matters before the Lok Adalat for settlement.
The next National Lok Adalat is scheduled to be conducted on June 11. The court will take cases relating to MACT, insurance claims
and banks matters as well. Further details can be availed from the front office of the DDLSA at the district court of Dimapur, the DDLSA stated.
The Lok Adalat is a system of alternative dispute-resolution developed in India by an act in 1987. It roughly means “people’s court.” India has had a long history of resolving disputes through the mediation of village elders. The system of Lok Adalat is based on the principles of the Panch Parmeshwar of Gram Panchayats which were also proposed by Mahatma Gandhi.
The idea of Lok Adalat was mainly advocated by Justice PN Bhagwati, a former Chief Justice of India. Lok Adalat is a non-adversarial system, whereby courts (called Lok Adalats) are held by the state authority, district authority, Supreme Court Legal Services Committee, high court local services committee, or Taluk legal services committee.
They are held periodically for exercising such jurisdiction as they determine. These are usually presided over by retired judges, social activists, or other members of the legal profession. The Lok Adalats can deal with all civil cases, matrimonial disputes, and land, partition/property, and labor disputes etc., and compoundable criminal cases as well.