By Molla Jasimuddin
Howrah, June 14: Along with various lower courts across the country, the National Lok Adalat was held on Saturday at the Howrah District Court and Serampore Sub-Divisional Court. Under the leadership of Subhash Kumar Kar, District & Sessions Judge and Chairman of the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), and coordinated by Arsheya Mustaq, Secretary of the Howrah DLSA, a total of 15 benches were set up at the district headquarters and 3 benches at the Uluberia Sub-Divisional Court.
Speaking on the occasion, DLSA Secretary Arsheya Mustaq stated that the majority of the registered cases were successfully settled during the National Lok Adalat. The total value of the disputes resolved amounted to several crores of rupees.
At Bench No. 10 of the Howrah National Lok Adalat, a three-member panel was headed by retired judge Sadhan Kumar Mondal. Serving as a bench member was social worker, non-advocate mediator of the Calcutta High Court, and legal correspondent Molla Jasimuddin. The bench heard cases involving loan defaulters of Bandhan Bank and SMFG Finance, with most matters being resolved amicably.
Meanwhile, Bench No. 11 functioned under the leadership of retired judge Asim Debnath. According to Prasenjit Bhattacharya, Office Master of the Howrah District Legal Services Authority, other benches handled and disposed of cases related to traffic violations, money suits, title suits, banking disputes, NGR matters, electricity-related cases, and other civil disputes.
On the other hand, in Hooghly district, the National Lok Adalat was conducted through 29 benches under the supervision of Manali Samanta, Secretary of the Hooghly District Legal Services Authority. Sahana Khatun, Office Master of the authority, stated that distinguished personalities from various sections of society participated as bench members, contributing to the successful conduct of the Lok Adalat.
The event highlighted the continued effectiveness of the Lok Adalat system in ensuring speedy, cost-effective, and amicable resolution of disputes, benefiting litigants and reducing the burden on regular courts.
