Lok adalats can help reduce case pendancy

KANPUR: Despite the active contribution of lok adalats, pendancy of legal cases in Uttar Pradesh is not reducing. UP tops the country in the matter of pendancy of cases. Allahabad high court has a pendancy of more than 10 lakh cases while more than 30 lakh cases are pending in 21 high courts of the country.
According to the data available at law ministry, UP is again on top in the matter of subordinate or district courts.As many as 4.6 million cases are pending in UP while Maharashtra is at number two with 4.1 million cases. Andhra Pradesh is last in this list with 9 lakh cases.
According to a judicial official, majority of cases are of petty nature and if they are decided in a limited time frame then the present huge pendancy can be eased up. "Lok adalats are playing a big role in disposing of those cases," he said. Records available at Kanpur legal cell clearly indicate the role played by lok adalats.
Kanpur Nagar had organised 109 lok adalats in 2009-10 and disposed of as many as 47,942 cases including motor accident claim, matrimonial and petty criminal offences. Similarly in 2008-09, 16 lok adalats were held and 59,088 cases were disposed of in comparison to 2007-08 in which just 83 lok adalats were organised and 46,085 cases were decided on mutual understanding basis.
Besides reducing the number of cases lok adalats are also providing revenue to the government.Though there is no court fee in lok adalats but the revenue come from petty criminal cases according to senior advocate D K Pathak .the data confirmed his claim. In the year 2009-10 lok adalat settled 42541 petty criminal offences and collected a fine to the tune of Rs 33.80 lakh while in the year 2008-09 government coffer was swelled to Rs 39.42 lakh when 55,019 cases were decided in the year 2008-09.
Asha Sharma additional district government counsel who is also dealing family court cases informed that lok adalats were also helpful in matrimonial affairs.In matrimonial cases first point of dispute generally discussed about maintenance and in lok adalats that points were being settled. Lok adalats of Kanpur nagar settled 844 in the year 2009-10 in comparison to 232 of 2008-09 and provided a sum of Rs.2.15 crore to ladies in the year 2009-10.
Lok adalats are also helpful in resolving the matter at pre-litigation stage 1,278 cases consisting banking, finance and mobile bills were settled 2009-10 and claimant received a sum of Rs 1.33 crores. Beside above mentioned sectors, lok adalats are also dealing in motor accident claims, civil cases, succession and negotiable instrument act.
Several advocates opined that lok adalats were good for litigants and the cases were settled on mutual basis.