PERMANENT LOK
ADALATS DESIGNED TO DECONGEST
COURTS
The Minister of State
for Law, Justice, Coal and Mines, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad has
said that Permanent Lok Adalats now being set up under the Legal
Services Authorities (Amendment) Act, 2002, would decongest the
courts in cases relating to public utility services. Speaking
at the inaugural function of a two-day Workshop on Legal Services
Authorities (Amendment) Act, 2002, organized by the National Legal
Services Authority (NALSA) and attended by State Legal Services
Authorities here this evening, Shri Prasad said that this mode
of alternative disputes resolution was intended to provide speedy
and cheap justice to the litigants. Decision of Permanent Lok
Adalat would be by majority and it would take up cases upto the
monetary value of Rs. 10 lakh which could further be revised by
the Central Government from time to time, the Minister added.
The system of
Lok Adalat, which was an innovative form of alternative disputes
resolution, has proved to be an effective mechanism for resolving
disputes, said the Minister. He further said that the success
of the mechanism could be seen from the fact that as on March
31, 2002, about 1,28,805 Lok Adalats were oganised in the country
in which about 1.38 cases including 7.5 lakh motor accident cases
were amicably settled. Besides, a total amount of Rs. 3501.39
crore was paid in such cases.
Shri Ravi Shankar
Prasad hoped that with the provision of pre-litigative settlement,
problems would be identified as early as possible and the potential
disputes settled at an early stage saving the money, machinery
and manpower as also lessening the burden on the courts, thus,
saved energies could be utilized for development of the nation.
Earlier, the
Chief Justice of India Shri Justice B.N. Kirpal in his inaugural
address emphasized the need for stepping up of legal literacy
and legal awareness progamme by the State Legal Services Authorities
all over the country and said that the existing premises of subordinate
courts should be utilized in the evening between 6 and 9.00 p.m.
for settlement of public utility services cases by the Permanent
Lok Adalats now underway.
