Mega Lok Adalat takes up 1,150 cases

CHENNAI: A mega Lok Adalat for motor accident claim cases and criminal appeals was held in the Tamil Nadu State Legal Services Authority (TNSLSA) situated within the Madras High Court campus, on Saturday.In all, 1,150 disputes were referred to the Lok Adalat, conducted jointly by the TNSLSA and the High Court Legal Services Committee (HCLSC). Ten benches, all headed by retired judges of the High Court, dealt with the long-pending cases.The TNSLSA has so far conducted 7,967 such Lok Adalats, wherein 6.88 lakh cases had been referred. Of this, 84,214 cases had been settled, leading to passing of awards to the tune of `511 crore.Delivering special address, Justice D Murugesan said that the TNSLSA was the pioneer in holding continuous Lok Adalats. This concept was unknown to other states. Justice Murugesan also said that the area of the Lok Adalats could be extended to cover cases pending before the Debt Recovery Tribunals (DRTs) and Debt Recovery Appellate Tribunal (DRAT), so that the banks, which were facing financial crunch, as also the litigant borrowers would be benefitted.Delivering his presidential address, TNSLSA executive chairman Justice E Dharma Rao said that the Lok Adalats were boon to the litigating public, where they could get their disputes settled fast, free of cost and amicably. The parties to the disputes could directly interact with the judges through their counsel, which was not possible in regular courts of law.Justice R Banumathi, also the chairperson of the HCLSC and Justice P R  Shivakumar, also member, Lok Adalat Committee spoke on the occasion.