Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR/JAMMU, Sept 13: In a major push towards speedy and affordable justice, the Jammu and Kashmir Legal Services Authority under the patronage of Justice Arun Palli, Chief Justice, High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, who also happens to be the Patron-in-Chief of the J&K Legal Services Authority, organized the 3rd National Lok Adalat of 2025 across the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
The day-long exercise witnessed the amicable settlement of 2, 39, 533 cases out of 3, 06, 851 taken up before 167 benches, resulting in a settlement amount of over Rs. 50.50 crore.
The initiative aimed at reducing pendency covered a wide range of disputes, including motor accident claims, cheque bounce cases, matrimonial matters, civil and criminal compoundable disputes, labour issues, revenue and utility bill cases.
Justice Sanjeev Kumar, Executive Chairman of J&K Legal Services Authority, inaugurated the Lok Adalat at District Court Complex Kupwara.
He inspected various benches, interacted with presiding officers, advocates, and litigants, and appreciated the arrangements.
On the occasion, compensation cheques under MACT were distributed among beneficiaries.
Justice Kumar also held an interaction with LADCs and panel lawyers at the ADR Centre and later visited District Jail Kupwara to review facilities and assess pending cases of inmates.
Shazia Tabasum, Member Secretary, J&K Legal Services Authority, informed that the next Lok Adalat is scheduled for December 13, 2025.
In Baramulla, Justice Vinod Chatterji Koul inaugurated the National Lok Adalat at the District Court Complex.
Speaking on the occasion, he highlighted the importance of resolving disputes outside traditional courts and encouraged addressing long-pending cases.
He also handed over compensation cheques worth Rs 16.81 lakh to road accident victims and urged greater cooperation between the Bench and Bar for effective justice delivery.
At the District Court Complex Janipur Jammu, Y P Bourney, Chairman DLSA Jammu, inaugurated the Lok Adalat where 29 benches were constituted.
Out of 2, 76, 581 cases taken up, 2, 17, 525 were settled with a recovery of over Rs 16.14 Crore.
Notably, large MACT claims were finalized, including awards of Rs 79 lakh, Rs 66 lakh, and Rs 40.50 lakh in separate cases, bringing immediate relief to claimants.
In Samba, the DLSA organized the Lok Adalat under the chairmanship of R N Wattal. Three benches were set up to hear civil, criminal compoundable, MACT, matrimonial, and bank recovery cases.
A total of 335 cases were taken up, of which 156 were settled, realizing a settlement amount of Rs 2.64 crore.
Similarly, Kathua DLSA held the Lok Adalat under Jatinder Singh Jamwal, where six benches operated across the district, including at Billawar, Hiranagar, Mahanpur, and Bani.
The exercise settled numerous cases with a recovery amount of Rs 1.81 Crore, reflecting strong public participation.
In Bandipora, 10 benches were constituted under the chairmanship of Khalil Ahmad Choudhary.
Out of 2,171 cases taken up, 1,424 were amicably resolved with a settlement amount of Rs 1.28 Crore.
Cases included matrimonial disputes, bank recoveries, cheque bounce, and civil matters.
The Lok Adalat also recorded significant participation in Ladakh.
At Leh, six benches were set up, disposing of 223 out of 267 cases, with settlements worth Rs 94.82 lakh.
Justice Sindhu Sharma, who inaugurated the event virtually, stressed the importance of ADR methods in remote regions.
At Kargil, three benches at the district level and additional benches at Sankoo and Drass disposed of 402 out of 431 cases, realizing Rs 50.62 lakh in settlements and over Rs 2 lakh in fines.
The successful conduct of the 3rd National Lok Adalat across J&K and Ladakh demonstrated the judiciary’s commitment to speedy dispute resolution and ensuring access to justice for all.
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