Permanent Lok Adalat starts functioning at Chandigarh District Courts

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, April 19

Permanent and Continuous Lok Adalat of UT, Chandigarh, started functioning at the District Legal Service Authority premises, ADR Centre and the District Courts, Sector-43, today.

The Permanent and Continuous Lok Adalat was constituted in 1998 and was earlier functioning from the premises of the State Legal Services Authority, Sector 9, Chandigarh.

Earlier, parties appeared in person before the Lok Adalat, but most of the times they were assisted by their respective advocates also who generally came from the courts complex in Sector-43. Parties had to keep waiting for advocates.

Keeping all these factors in mind and for a smooth functioning of this Lok Adalat, as also to avoid inconvenience to the litigant public and advocates who have to travel all the way to Sector 9, Chandigarh, Justice Jaswant Singh, Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and Executive Chairman of the State Legal Services Authority, has decided that the Lok Adalat be shifted to Sector 43, as this initiative will save the time of both litigants and advocates who can participate in proceedings whenever they are free from regular court work.

This Lok Adalat will be headed by Ashok Kumar Mann, CJM-cum-Secretary, District Legal Services Authority, and assisted by two nominated members, VK Kapoor, former IPS officer, and Narinder Dalal, an advocate.

Bhag Singh Suhag, president of the District Bar Association of Chandigarh, hailed the decision and said it had been their long-standing demand that the Permanent Lok Adalat be shifted to the District Courts. He said it would now be convenient for advocates to manage their work at both courts.