THE first National Lok Adalat of the year was organised across the State following the directions of National Legal Services Authority (NLSA), New Delhi and under the guidance of Justice Suresh Kumar Kait, Chief Justice and Patron-in-Chief, Madhya Pradesh State Legal Services Authority (MPSLSA) and Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva, Executive Chairman, MPSLSA, on Saturday. Chief Justice Kait inaugurated the National Lok Adalat virtually by addressing State-level virtual inaugural ceremony live from High Court of Madhya Pradesh Bench at Indore. Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva, Executive Chairman, MPSLSA Jabalpur, Justice Vivek Agarwal, Chairman, High Court Legal Services Committee Jabalpur, Justice Vivek Rusia, Judge, Chairman, High Court Legal Services Committee, Indore Justice Anand Pathak Chairman, High Court Legal Services Committee, Gwalior and companion Judges of High Court of Madhya Pradesh were also present on the occasion. The Principal District and Session Judges cum Chairman, DLSAs, Principal Judges, Family Court and Judicial Officers from the District Judiciary also virtually joined the event. As per the information received from all DLSAs and HCLSCs by 6.30 pm, total 4,18,562 cases (both pre-litigation and pending) were taken up during the Lok Adalat.

 

Among the total as many as 1,41,189 cases were resolved and award of Rs 6,17,33,04,198 were passed. At the outset the Chief Justice, in his inaugural address expressed that as grand gathering marks the inauguration of the 1st National Lok Adalat of 2025, it is also a moment to celebrate the invaluable contributions of women in our system. On the occasion of International Women’s Day, he extended his deep appreciation to the women officers, advocates and staff for their dedication, resilience and commitment to uphold the ideals of justice. He said that Lok Adalats serve as a beacon of hope for countless individuals, offering a platform to settle disputes quickly and amicably. It provides a cost effective and time saving solution for resolving cases and allowing people to move forward in life without the stress of prolonged litigations. Every case resolved today helps to reduce the burden on courts and strengthens public trust in the judicial system. Therefore our efforts must go beyond legal proceedings so as to help resolve conflicts, promote peace, and ensure fairness.

 

He also stressed upon the indispensible role and cooperation of Advocates to help and encourage litigants to reach fair settlements. Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva, Executive Chairman, MPSLSA Jabalpur while addressing the gathering highlighted the success of Lok Adalats held in 2024 and reiterated that our goal must be to further enhance access to justice insuring that no individual is denied their rightful remedy due to delays, financial constraints or lack of awareness. The efficiency of Lok Adalats must continue to grow and our legal outreach must expand to reach those who need it most. Member Secretary, Pradeep Mittal informed that in National Lok Adalat a total 8 Benches in Principal seat at Jabalpur and benches at Indore and Gwalior of the High Court and in the District Courts a total no. of 1430 benches, thus a total of 1438 benches were constituted in the entire Madhya Pradesh. Archana Singh, Secretary, HCLSC Jabalpur conducted the programme and Pradeep Mittal Member Secretary, MPSLSA proposed vote of thanks. Those also present on the occasion were Dharminder Singh, Registrar General, High Court along with Officers of the Registry, Pradeep Mittal, Member Secretary, MPSLSA, Arvind Shrivastava, Additional Secretary, niruddha Jain, Deputy Secretary, President and office bearers of the Bar Association were also present