Supreme Court judges tell people to go Lok-Adalat
Kolkata, Mar 1 (UNI) Senior judges of the country today called upon the people to go Lok-Adalat for quick settlement of their disputes.
The Lok-Adalat, an effective alternative judicial forum, for resolving the longstading disputes that robbed peace of mind of nearly 30 million litigants across the country, they said.
"Lok-Adalat is an appropirate platform for participation, mediation, persuasion and negotiation of the cases dogging the solution for years," Supreme Court Judge Asok Bhan said.
Inaugurating a Lok-Adalat for motor accident appeal cases in the century-old Calcutta High Court today, Justice Bhan said that nearly 2.5 crore cases were pending in different courts across the country and adding that the Lok-Adalat could be an effective and usesful forum for settling millions of disputes in a densely-populated country like India.
The Central government had allocated a fund of Rs 30 crore for development of infrastructure for opening Lok-Adalat during evenings in the courts across the coutnry, he added.
"I feel, the Judges should attend the Lok-Adalat on Saturdays and Sundays when most people may find time to come there for settlement of their cases.
" Judges and lawmakers have also duty to make the people aware of their fundamental rights in the Constitution and take Lok-Adalat to the doors of the people living in remote villages as well as city skyscrappers kissing the sky", he said.
The judges attending the Lok-Adalat would get an additonal 25 per cent payment on their basic pay, Justice Bhan said and adding that law makers should spread the "new judicial culture of Lok-Adalat," all over the country.
" People should come forward to this forum for speedy settlement of their cases," Bhan said.
Judges of Supreme Court Tarun Chaterjee , Altamas Kabir, and Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court Surinder Singh Nijjar also stressed the need for Lok-Adalat in the lower courts where tens of thousands of cases were pending for decades.
A senior official of Calcutta High Court said that over 100 insurance cases of motor accidents were heard at the Lok-Adalat held at the centenary building of the High Court.
Most disputes were sorted out and settled, he said.
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