Chhattisgarh e-Lok Adalat: 2,270 cases disposed of, Rs 43 cr awarded

In a first of its kind of initiative, Chhattisgarh State Legal Services Authority organised the day-long e-Lok Adalat in the state for which 195 benches were constituted in 23 districts and 5,067 cases were taken up for hearing. Of these cases, 2,270 cases were settled and more than Rs 43 crore was awarded as settlement amount, with maximum cases disposed of in Raipur.

Bilaspur: A total of 2,270 cases were disposed of by Lok Adalats conducted in Chhattisgarh on Saturday through video conferencing amid the coronavirus outbreak and a cumulative settlement amount of over Rs 43 crore was awarded.

In a first of its kind of initiative, Chhattisgarh State Legal Services Authority organised the day-long e-Lok Adalat in the state for which 195 benches, including two of Chhattisgarh High Court in Bilaspur, were constituted in 23 districts and 5,067 cases were taken up for hearing, a state government release said.

Of these cases, 2,270 cases were settled and Rs 43,72,75,902 was awarded as settlement amount, with maximum cases, at 562, being disposed of in Raipur, it said.

All concerned parties and lawyers joined the hearing from their home via video conferencing.

The maximum settlement amount of over Rs 17 crore was awarded in MACT (Motor Accident Claim Tribunal) cases while over Rs 14 crore was awarded in NI (Negotiable Instruments) Act cases, it added.

Earlier, while inaugurating the nation's first e-Lok Adalat, Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh High Court PR Ramchandra Menon termed it a "noble" initiative which will help reduce pendency of cases and bring relief to people.

In his address, Chief Justice Menon said, "Due to the lockdown, working of government departments as well as the judiciary have got significantly affected. Advocates and defendants both are going through tough phases. Activities of courts were hampered. In this phase, we have decided to cancel summer vacation and have decided to work on weekends as well."

In 2019, over 45,000 cases were filed in Chhattisgarh High Court alone, of which over 39,000 were disposed of.

Similarly, this year, 10,639 cases were filed between January and March, before the outbreak, and judgments were given in 8,736 cases, he said.

Executive chairman of State Legal Services Authority Justice Prashant Mishra said that it is a historical opportunity to resolve cases through a mutual agreement in courts across the state via video conferencing.

If e-Lok Adalat turns out to be a success, then more such hearings will be set up in future, he added.

(PTI Report)