Srinagar, May 9: More than 83,000 cases were amicably settled during the Second National Lok Adalat of 2026 held across Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, with settlements and compensation amounting to over Rs 42 crore, officials said.
The National Lok Adalat was organised by the Jammu & Kashmir Legal Services Authority under the patronage of Chief Justice of the High Court of J&K and Ladakh Justice Arun Palli, who serves as Patron-in-Chief of the J&K Legal Services Authority.
Justice Sanjeev Kumar, Executive Chairman of the J&K Legal Services Authority, inaugurated the Lok Adalat proceedings at the District Court Complex Srinagar in the presence of judicial officers and legal services officials.
According to officials, a total of 89,222 cases were taken up by 180 benches constituted across the Union Territory, out of which 83,623 cases were settled through mutual agreement and disposed of during the day-long proceedings.
The settled matters included motor accident claim cases, matrimonial disputes, cheque bounce cases under the Negotiable Instruments Act, money recovery matters, commercial disputes, labour issues, electricity and water bill disputes, land acquisition cases, family disputes, bank recovery matters and compoundable criminal offences.
An amount of Rs 42,09,04,185 was awarded as compensation and settlement amount in various cases.
Justice Sanjeev Kumar inspected several Lok Adalat benches at the Srinagar District Court Complex and interacted with presiding officers, advocates and litigants. MACT compensation cheques were also distributed among beneficiaries during the proceedings.
Speaking on the occasion, Justice Sanjeev Kumar said Lok Adalats provide an effective alternative dispute resolution mechanism by enabling speedy, inexpensive and amicable settlement of disputes, thereby helping reduce pendency in courts and strengthening the justice delivery system.
He appreciated the efforts of judicial officers, district legal services authorities, advocates, para legal volunteers, legal aid defence counsels and court staff in ensuring the successful conduct of the Lok Adalat.
Member Secretary of the J&K Legal Services Authority, Shazia Tabassum, said the institution would continue to strengthen alternative dispute resolution mechanisms to ensure access to justice for people, particularly weaker and marginalised sections of society.
She also announced that the third National Lok Adalat of 2026 would be held on September 12 and urged litigants to take advantage of the opportunity for amicable settlement of disputes.
Tabassum further said that special Lok Adalats for cheque dishonour cases under the Negotiable Instruments Act would be organised on July 18 and November 21 this year. She also referred to the ongoing “Samadhan Samaroh” initiative for suitable Supreme Court cases, which began on April 21 and will culminate in a Special Lok Adalat scheduled for August 21 to 23, 2026.
