Lok Adalats across country every alternate month

The National Legal Service Authority (NALSA) will be organising Lok Adalats across the country on the second Saturday of every alternate month.

Speaking to newsmen, Supreme Court judge Justice Dipak Misra said all India Lok Adalats would cover cases relating to cheque bouncing, motor vehicles, pension and service matters and matrimonial disputes among other issues.

By 2 p.m. on Saturday, more than two lakh cases were settled in the Lok Adalats held across the country, he said.

Describing the Lok Adalats as a "win-win" situation for both the sides to the dispute, Justice Misra, who is the Executive Chairman of NALSA, said that in the settlement of disputes through Lok Adalts, everyone knows that nobody was taking away your dues and one was getting only what was due to him or her.

He said settlement of cases through Lok Adalats would include both the pending matters and the pre-litigation cases.

Saying that legal awareness was a weapon in the hands of the citizens, Justice Misra said people must know about their rights.

He said for providing legal assistance to the people in knowing the status of their cases, in each state seven para-legal volunteers have been trained who would be operating from the Legal Assistance Establishment Office which is like the Public Defence Office of the USA.

--IANS

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