Ramanathapuram
The District Court has identified 2,365 cases, including 860 pre-litigation bank cases for settlement at the National Lok Adalat benches to be held in the District and Taluk headquarters on Saturday.
Principal District Judge R Shanmuga Sundaram, who is the chairman of the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), which organised the National Lok Adalat on the orders of the Supreme Court and Madras High Court, said of the 7,197 cases pending before all the courts in the district, 2,365 cases, including compoundable criminal cases, motor accident claim original petition, cheque bounces and matrimonial cases have been identified for settlements before Lok Adalats.
Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, he said 14 benches would be set up in the District court and Taluk headquarters. The litigants could get in touch with their advocates and refer their cases and settle them once for all. Litigants who settled their cases in Lok Adalats could get their court fees paid through stamp duties refunded, he said. They could also get copies of final orders and awards instantly and heave a sigh of relief as there was no provision to appeal against the settlements.
Litigants could make use of the opportunity as they could get speedy justice, he said adding they could approach their lawyers or the courts, where their cases were pending or the DLSA to get their cases referred to the National Lok Adalat, he added.
Sub-Judge M. Preetha, who is the secretary of DLSA, Additional District Court Judge T. Bagavathi Ammal, Permanent Lok Adalat District Judge P.R. Ramakrishnan, Chief Judicial Magistrate Sujatha were among others present at the press conference.