Mangaluru: Karnataka Legal Services Authority, Bengaluru and Dakshina Kannada district Legal Services Authority are jointly organising a national Lok Adalat at the district court and the respective courts of the taluk centres from February 8.

Principal Senior Civil Judge Kadlur Sathyanarayanacharya told reporters here on Wednesday, February 5, that there is no opportunity to appeal if the cases are settled in the Lok Adalat. “If both the parties consent to settle the case in the Lok Adalat, they can appear before it and settle their cases. However, the court will not compel anybody to settle their cases in the Lok Adalat,” he said and added that it is a good platform for those who intend to dispose their cases quickly.

Different dates have been scheduled to dispose of different types of cases. The cases pertaining to cheque bounce and financial recovery will be disposed on February 8. Cases related to labour dispute, wages,  electricity and water bills will be disposed of on April 14. The cases which can be disposed through amicable settlement will be done so on July 11 and cases pertaining to motor vehicles will be disposed of on September 12. The cases pertaining to land acquisition, pension, revenue disputes and other civil cases will be disposed of on December 12.

Informing about the cases from the previous year’s Lok Adalat, the judge said, a total of 4,820 cases were disposed of in the last year and Rs 15.31 crores wad disbursed as compensation to the concerned people. Among the total disposed cases, 476 pertained to the banking sector and Rs 6.15 crores was collected from the concerned persons. However, a total of 15,000 cases are pending in the district court of which 618 cases will be heard in this year’s Lok Adalat. Among the 618 total cases, over 300 are criminal cases, he said.

District Sessions Court Judge Sharada, IInd Additional Judge Gangadhar and District Bar Association president N N Hegde and general secretary Raghavendra were present.