Organised by the Delhi Legal Services Authority (DLSA), the Lok Adalat witnessed a cheering response from litigants, who came forward to settle their long-pending disputes, escaping the ruinous cost of litigation and technical procedures.

It was for the second time that the regular matrimonial Lok Adalat was organised by the DLSA. The move paid off with 17 cases getting completely settled and 26 others being referred to the next event after discovering the possibility of resolution in the next sitting.

The matrimonial Lok Adalats were organised at all the five district court complexes and various courts, adjudicating the matters till date, had referred 90 cases to them.

After her case was heard, a woman who had come to the Tis Hazari seeking relief from multiple cases can now hope for an end to her woes. She had eight matrimonial cases pending against her husband and in-laws. While her husband had died during pendency, her in-laws were entangled in a legal wrangle before different courts.

Of these, five were conclusively settled after judges and women mediators played counsellors, made both the parties sit across the table and worked out possible solutions. In this case, the woman was awarded compensation apart from her rightful share in the estate of her husband after her in-laws agreed to dole out the relief, the particulars of which would be drawn in the next sitting.

Meanwhile, Lok Adalats organised to resolve issues relating to bank loans and credit card dues also saw an encouraging response as a number of private banks joined hands with the DLSA to bring down the ever-mounting judicial backlog.

After the success of the recent Lok Adalat held in collaboration with ICICI Bank and Canara Bank, SBI was another public sector bank that participated in the event, apart from private players like Standard Chartered, ABN-Amro and American Express.

“The disposal rate was excellent with almost 90 per cent of the cases reaching settlement. The event was a step ahead towards the settlement of disputes at the pre-litigative stage to check the fresh inflow of cases in courts besides according speedy justice to all parties involved,” said Sanjay Sharma, project officer of the DLSA. Out of 393 cases taken up, 329 were resolved and over Rs two crore was realised.

“We have been approached by several public and private sector banks now and might soon organise another Lok Adalat for cases pending with them in our endeavour to declog the judicial system,” added Sharma.