Shimla: Efforts to reduce pendency of cases lying before the courts in Himachal Pradesh had counted settling around 34,000 of them amicably by 5 p.m. – a record of sorts, and the courts were still sitting past their normal working hours for the National Lok Adalat organized on a weekend today. In all there were 83,885 cases listed to be taken up by these courts in a single day.
Even at the High Court of the 111 cases placed before Lok Adalat, 42 cases were settled by way of amicable settlement, a spokesperson of the High Court stated.
Cases taken up by the National Lok Adalat that was held across all the courts in the State, the 83885 cases involving 28 categories belonged to Compoundable criminal cases, cases under the Negotiable Instruments Act, Motor accidents claims, Matrimonial and family cases, Labour disputes, Land Acquisition cases and Civil cases are being taken up. 
A special feature of the Lok Adalat this year is that cases for amicable settlement are being taken up in all the Courts of H.P. including the Civil/trial and appellate Courts, Consumer Courts, Labour Courts, Revenue Courts i.e. the Court of the Collector, Assistant Collector, Sub Divisional Magistrate, Tehsildar and Naib Tehsildar.
At a programme held in the High Court of H.P., Chief Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir, said that the Lok Adalat is an extension of the tradition of resolving differences through settlement and the Legal Services Act gives a legal status to it. He expressed hope that maximum numbers of cases shall be settled in the Lok Adalat this year and the litigants extract maximum benefit from the process.
Executive Chairman of the H.P. State Legal Services Authority Justice Sanjay Karol said that resolving differences through the National Lok Adalat was win-win situation for the litigants, judiciary and the lawyers. It saves time, energy and money of the parties as also relieves courts of the huge burden of pending cases. The process is very effective not only in reducing the pendency of the cases but also strengthening social harmony by providing mutually agreeable solutions to the parties.
The National Lok Adalat, organized in all the Courts of the Country, was inaugurated today by Justice Anil R. Dave, Judge of the Supreme Court of India and Chairman of the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee. The programme was webcasted live across the country.
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads a team of media professionals at Hill Post.
Spanning a career of over two decades in mass communication, as a Documentary Filmmaker, TV journalist, Print Media journalist and with Online & Social Media, he brings with him a vast experience. He lives in Shimla.
