The Mandal Legal Services Authority (MLSA) aims at settling close to 1,700 cases at the 2nd National Lok Adalat (NLA) scheduled to be organised at the civil courts here on December 6. Most of these cases are related to compoundable criminal cases and the remaining ones pertain to maintenance, accidents and labour issues. A total of ten benches have been constituted for disposing of the cases by Metropolitan Sessions Judge and In-Charge District and Sessions Judge R. Murali. He told The Hindu that it was a nationwide exercise initiated by the National Legal Services Authority.
It covers all courts, from the Supreme Court to subordinate courts and that it was a very effective instrument under the Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism which was helping in reducing the number of pending cases.
A total of 633 applications have been received from banks for granting relief to loan defaulters.
Notices were issued to these customers and NLA gives them a good opportunity to avail huge discounts and clear their dues in instalments which will not be possible in the normal course of debt servicing.
Customers who did not receive notices can also approach banks in the next two days for settling their disputes in the NLA .
Mr. Murali said in addition to securing justice on the spot, the litigants could save the court fee which entails a major expenditure and observed that the awards passed in the NLA would be final. This settles the disputes once and for all.
Meanwhile, the MLSA is preparing to launch yet another special drive for identifying litigation-free villages. Two villages, Konathanapadu and Madasuvaripalem in Kankipadu mandal, were declared as litigation-free last year. In all, 23 villages were planned to be given that distinction.
