Lucknow: A massive National Lok Adalat was organised across Lucknow with the objective of providing speedy, affordable, and accessible justice to the public. The initiative resulted in the disposal of nearly 2.95 lakh cases and recovery of more than ₹29 crore.
The National Lok Adalat was inaugurated at the Mediation Centre located in the old High Court premises in the presence of Malkhan Singh. The programme began with lamp-lighting and floral tribute to Goddess Saraswati.
Cases were resolved across district courts, Motor Accident Claims Tribunal, Family Court, Commercial Court, Consumer Forum, Permanent Lok Adalat, Collectorate, and all tehsils of the district, along with various judicial and administrative institutions.
According to officials, a total of 2,95,708 cases were successfully disposed of during the Lok Adalat, while an amount of ₹29,06,26,599 was recovered through settlements and case resolutions.
Several senior judicial and administrative officers attended the programme, including Additional District Judge Court No. 1 Hussain Ahmad Ansari, National Lok Adalat Nodal Officer and Additional District Judge Prakash Tiwari, District Legal Services Authority Secretary Kunwar Nivesh Singh Kushwaha, Additional District Magistrate (Judicial) Raj Bahadur, bank officials, legal aid defence counsels, para legal volunteers, panel advocates, and court staff.
The event was coordinated by the District Legal Services Authority.
Special arrangements were also made for litigants at the court premises, including a health camp for visitors. An exhibition showcasing products made by inmates of the Adarsh Jail was also organised. In addition, an Ayushman Bharat scheme camp by Jan Sahas and exhibitions by self-help groups and voluntary organisations attracted public attention.
A special stall under the One District One Product (ODOP) initiative was inaugurated by District Judge Malkhan Singh.
Addressing the gathering, the District Judge encouraged maximum settlement of disputes through mutual agreement and conciliation, stating that Lok Adalats have become an effective mechanism for making justice simpler and more accessible.
During the Lok Adalat, both pending court cases and pre-litigation matters were taken up for settlement on a large scale. Among pending cases, the Special Judge EC Act disposed of 156 matters, the Chief Judicial Magistrate resolved 4,146 cases, the Special Chief Judicial Magistrate (Custom) settled 2,102 matters, while other judicial magistrates disposed of thousands of additional cases.
The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal resolved 111 cases, the Commercial Court disposed of six matters, 1,395 cases under the NI Act were settled, and the Family Court resolved 134 disputes. Altogether, 51,677 pending court cases were disposed of, leading to recovery of nearly ₹18.43 crore.
At the pre-litigation stage, 1,01,258 revenue department matters, 1,22,752 cases related to the Chief Medical Officer’s office, 1,161 bank recovery matters, 47 matrimonial disputes, and several other disputes were resolved. In these cases, around ₹10.62 crore was recovered through settlement proceedings.
Officials said the overwhelming response to the National Lok Adalat once again demonstrated the effectiveness of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms in reducing litigation burden and ensuring quicker justice delivery.
