National Lok Adalat held successfully

 

 

 

 

In a landmark stride towards accessible and amicable justice delivery, the Third National Lok Adalat of 2025 was successfully conducted across Madhya Pradesh on Saturday, reaffirming judiciary’s commitment to alternative dispute resolution and the constitutional mandate of Article 39A.

 

The initiative was held under inspiring leadership of Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva, Chief Justice of High Court of Madhya Pradesh and Patron-in-Chief of Madhya Pradesh State Legal Services Authority (MPSLSA), and able guidance of Justice Atul Sreedharan, Administrative Judge of the High Court and Executive Chairman of MPSLSA.

 

Organised under the aegis of National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), New Delhi, the Lok Adalat witnessed enthusiastic participation from all corners of the State. A total of 1,465 benches were constituted across Madhya Pradesh, including 09 benches at the High Court—covering the Principal Seat at Jabalpur and the benches at Indore and Gwalior—and 1,456 benches at District and Tehsil levels. Judges of the High Court presided over proceedings at the High Court benches, ensuring high-level judicial engagement in the resolution process.

 

The Lok Adalat took up a wide array of cases, ranging from writ petitions, civil revisions, and second appeals to motor accident claims, matrimonial disputes, criminal compoundable offences, cheque bounce matters under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, labour disputes, bank recovery cases, and utility bill matters.

 

The diversity of matters underscored the inclusive nature of the initiative. While final figures are awaited, preliminary reports indicate a significant number of 47029 pending and 94344 pre-litigation cases were amicably settled, with the total settlement amount running into several crores, reflecting the effectiveness of the Lok Adalat model in reducing litigation backlog and promoting mutual understanding.

 

The success of the event was bolstered by the active involvement of judicial officers, members of the Bar, mediators, representatives from banks, insurance companies, government departments, executive, local police and other stakeholders. Extensive public outreach campaigns, including legal literacy drives and digital awareness initiatives, were conducted in the lead-up to the Lok Adalat, ensuring widespread citizen engagement.

 

On the occasion of the inauguration of the National Lok Adalat at the High Court of Madhya Pradesh, Principal Seat at Jabalpur, the ceremony was graced by Justice Atul Sreedharan, Administrative Judge of the High Court and Executive Chairman, MP State Legal Services Authority; Justice Vivek Agarwal, Chairman, High Court Legal Services Committee; along with the Companion Judges of the High Court.

 

The august gathering also witnessed the presence of Radhelal Gupta, Chairman, State Bar Council of Madhya Pradesh; the President and office bearers of various Bar Associations; Dharminder Singh, Registrar General, High Court of Madhya Pradesh, accompanied by officers of the Registry; Umesh Pandav, Director, M.P. State Judicial Academy, along with officers of the Academy; and Suman Shrivastava, Member Secretary, M.P. State Legal Services Authority, along with officers of the Authority.