New Delhi: Noting the plight of common men who are "fed up" with court proceedings, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud highlighted on Saturday the importance of Lok Adalats as an alternative dispute resolution mechanism.
He stressed that the judicial process is a punishment for litigants, due to which they often desperately look for settlements to end tiresome litigation by accepting settlements even below their legal entitlements.
CJI also cited several cases which were settled in the Special Lok Adalat. He cited a motor accident case in which the claimant was ready to settle the case for lower compensation despite being entitled to enhancement. "Parties are ready to accept any sort of settlement because they want to get out of the system," said the CJI.
Speaking at the commemoration function of the Special Lok Adalat, CJI said, "Log itna trast ho jate hain court ke mamlon se wo koi bhi settlement chahte hain... Bas court se dur kara dijiye (People are so fed up with the matters of the court that they just want a settlement). This is also a problem that we see as judges. This process is the punishment and that is a cause of concern for all of us as judges."