Chandigarh, September 13
The Punjab State Legal Services Authority successfully organized the National Lok Adalat of 2026 across the state today under the patronage of Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra, Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, and the visionary leadership of Justice Deepak Sibal, Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and Executive Chairman of the Punjab State Legal Services Authority.
Sharing details of the initiative, Mrs. Jagdeep Kaur Virk, Member Secretary of the Punjab State Legal Services Authority, said that the mega event aimed to provide speedy, cost-effective and amicable settlement of disputes while advancing access to justice in accordance with Article 39-A of the Constitution of India.
The Lok Adalat witnessed active participation from litigants, judicial officers, advocates and other stakeholders. A wide range of cases, including civil, matrimonial, property, motor accident claims, banking, insurance and other compoundable matters, were taken up and resolved through conciliation and mutual consent. The exercise provided immediate relief to litigants and contributed significantly to reducing the pendency of cases in courts.
A total of 404 Lok Adalat Benches were constituted across all districts and sub-divisions of Punjab. As many as 6,54,612 cases were taken up, out of which 5,99,283 cases were amicably settled. Awards amounting to ₹1,116,10,96,635 were passed in the settled cases.
watch…..ਪੰਜਾਬ ਨੂੰ ਕੇਂਦਰੀ ਪਾਵਰ ਪੂਲ ’ਚੋਂ 1,051 ਮੈਗਾਵਾਟ ਘੱਟ ਬਿਜਲੀ ਮਿਲ ਰਹੀ: ਸੌਂਦ
The National Lok Adalat enabled thousands of litigants across Punjab to resolve their disputes within a short period. Several long-pending matters, including cases that had remained unresolved for more than a decade, were successfully settled, helping to ease the burden on court dockets.
One notable success story emerged from SAS Nagar district, where a matrimonial dispute between a young couple was resolved through mutual settlement. In the case titled Karmajeet Kaur vs. Ravinder Singh, the petitioner had filed a petition against the respondent under Section 125 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (Cr.P.C.). The court persuaded both parties to explore a compromise, following which they settled their dispute during the National Lok Adalat. Both the husband and wife agreed to resume living together.
The courts also witnessed an overwhelming response from banking institutions, insurance companies, government departments and the general public, reflecting growing confidence in the Lok Adalat mechanism.
On the occasion, Justice Deepak Sibal, Executive Chairman of the Punjab State Legal Services Authority, appreciated the dedicated efforts of judicial officers, District Legal Services Authorities and volunteers across the state, whose collective commitment ensured the successful conduct of the mega event.
The Punjab State Legal Services Authority also expressed its gratitude to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, all District Legal Services Authorities, the state judiciary, members of the Bar, police authorities and the civil administration for their invaluable support and cooperation.
