Pune demonstrated its efficiency in the court of law on September 13 at the National Lok Adalat as the most effective district in Maharashtra. Among the 2,43,424 cases that were presented to be settled, the district actually settled 1,45,101 cases - a result that highlights the success of the alternative dispute resolution systems.
This huge amount of ₹665.44 crore settlement was a record in the state, indicating how successfully the efforts of judges, lawyers, and litigants were coordinated.
Pre-Litigation and Post-Litigation Success
Another main point of activity of Pune was in the pre-litigation cases, where it resolved disputes even before they would get to the courtrooms. Among 1,84,744 pre-litigation cases, 1,03,066 have been closed, and 1.03 crore is the value of the settlement.
In post-litigation, where cases were already in the court, 24,475 cases were settled, which added a colossal amount of 567.19 crore to the total number of cases settled.
Also, 17,560 more cases were cleared under a special drive that was meant to accelerate resolutions.
Extensive List of Resolved Disputes
The Lok Adalat in Pune had a very wide range of cases it handled, which provided relief on various fronts. This comprised 50,380 bank loan recovery matters, 18,374 compoundable criminal cases, 48,167 cases involving water tax disputes, and 2,004 cases involving cheque dishonour, among others. To cope with this huge number of cases, 135 panels were formed.
People-Centric Justice
Speaking about the success, MK Mahajan, who is Principal District and Sessions Judge and Chairman of the District Legal Services Authority, stressed even more that Lok Adalat is not merely a dispute-solving platform but rather a people-focused movement that instills faith in the justice system.
He attributed the historic success to the cooperation of all the stakeholders, and this reinforced the notion that justice is accessible and effective when courts, legal authorities and citizens work together.
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