Mumbai Lok Adalat creates record, disposing 1.56 lakh cases in a day

Among the National Lok Adalats held across Maharashtra on Saturday, the Adalat in Mumbai created a record by disposing of a total of 1.56 lakh cases and collecting a revenue of Rs1,67,71,74,948 in fines in one day. National Lok Adalat is held as per the directions of the National Legal Services Authority.

The Lok Adalats have a mandate to deal with all civil, matrimonial, land, partition or property, labour disputes, and compoundable criminal cases. According to the statistics available, a total of 44,928 cases in pre-litigation stage were settled amicably, with a collection of fine to the tune of Rs39,63,100.

Meanwhile, a total of 1,619 cheque bounce cases were settled by the Lok Adalat, collecting a revenue of Rs1,54,51,57,882. As many as 1,018 criminal cases were settled, with collection of fines to the tune of Rs1,40,13,229.

Additional chief metropolitan magistrate Ganesh Deshmukh said, "We want more and more people to approach Lok Adalat and settle their dispute amicably. This helps in reducing the work load on the judiciary. Issues can be settled instantly, if both parties agree to the Lok Adalat decision."

Last year, in the Lok Adalat that was held in December, Mumbai disposed off only 82,000 cases. This year, it surpassed the last year's figure by a huge margin.