Final National Lok Adalat Of 2024 In Gujarat Disposes About 2.5 Lakh Pending Cases With ₹1270.6 Cr Settlement; Over 3 Lakh Pre-Litigation Cases
Bhavya Singh
17 Dec 2024 10:25 AM IST
The Last and the final National Lok Adalat of 2024 was successfully organised on December 14, 2024, across the state of Gujarat under the aegis of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA). The Lok Adalat witnessed huge participation and a remarkable success across the state.
The Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court and Patron-in-Chief of the Gujarat State Legal Services Authority (GSLSA), Justice Sunita Agarwal, along with the senior-most judge of the Gujarat High Court - Justice Biren A. Vaishnav, offered a comprehensive guidance to the District Legal Services Authorities (DLSA) and the Taluka Legal Services Committees to escalate the benefits of Lok Adalats for the public.
During the Lok Adalat, a total of 3,30,207 cases pending before the various courts of the state were taken up for settlement. These included cases which related to Motor Accident Compensation cases, Civil Suits, Negotiable Instrument Act Cheque return Complaint, Matrimonial Disputes, Industrial Disputes etc. Out of these, 2,46,184 cases were disposed of, with awards amounting to ₹1,270.6 crores.
Moreover, the pre-litigation Lok Adalat, an important facet of the Alternative Dispute Resolution, has gradually been picking up momentum in the state. During this Lok Adalat, 3,30,655 pre-litigation cases were settled, resulting in a settlement amount of ₹90.29 crores. Additionally, a total of 2,85,837 Traffic E Challan cases were settled during the event with settlement awards amounting to Rs. 17.15 Crore.
The Lok Adalat also successfully addressed and brought to an end a total of 3,304 pending matrimonial disputes across the State courts. Notably, the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court in Ahmedabad City disposed of the highest number of cases in the state. Under the leadership of Chief Justice Agarwal, a special arrangement for conciliation aimed at settling 10-year-old cases led to the resolution of 1,296 such cases.
Looking at the success of this Mediation Arrangement Chief Justice Agarwal announced that Special Lok Adalats will now be organized monthly on a regular basis.
Overall, during the year 2024, four National Lok Adalats were organized in Gujarat. Collectively, these sessions disposed of 21,61,048 pending court cases with settlement amounts totaling ₹5162.2 crores.
According to a statement released by the GSLSA, “Under the able leadership of the Chief Justice the Lok Adalat is becoming a strong medium of dispute resolution.”
