Tarun Karthick
Port Blair, 11 September 2023
The District Legal Services Authority of Andaman & Nicobar Islands successfully conducted National Lok Adalats across various locations on September 9, 2023, bringing relief to countless litigants. The Lok Adalats were held at the District Court Building in Port Blair, the ADR centre ‘PRAYAS’ in Port Blair, and the Sub-Divisional Court Complexes in Mayabunder and Diglipur.
Judicial Officers from the district’s judiciary presided over the Lok Adalats, marking the commencement of these legal proceedings. The event saw a substantial turnout, with a total of 1,470 pre-litigation cases, including 1,113 pre-litigation BSNL recovery cases and 49 cases pending in different courts at Port Blair, being referred to the National Lok Adalat.
At the Port Blair Lok Adalat, a remarkable 124 pre-litigation bank recovery cases were resolved, resulting in the settlement of an involved amount of Rs. 2,13,37,759/- at Rs. 1,35,23,100/-. This resolution provided a significant benefit of Rs. 78,14,659/- to bank loan borrowers. Furthermore, a sum of Rs. 6,13,500/- was collected on the spot. In addition, 239 criminal cases were addressed, resulting in the collection of Rs. 12,450/- in fines.
Notable outcomes emerged from the Port Blair Lok Adalat, including an amicable settlement between a widow and a bank, relieving the widow from court proceedings. Similarly, a case involving a lady and movers and packers was resolved with the petitioner being adequately compensated. Several BSNL-related cases were also disposed of, bringing relief to numerous customers.
In Mayabunder, one bench handled 156 pre-litigation cases, including 140 pre-litigation BSNL recovery cases, and successfully resolved 15 cases with settlements totaling Rs. 1,28,994/-. An additional sum of Rs. 16,994/- was collected on the spot. Moreover, 50 cases pending in different courts were taken up, resulting in the resolution of 20 criminal compoundable cases and the collection of Rs. 49,650/- in fines.
In Diglipur, another bench resolved 13 pre-litigation cases, settling them at Rs. 71,538/- with the same amount realized on the spot. Additionally, 189 cases pending in different courts were addressed, leading to the resolution of 40 criminal compoundable cases and the collection of Rs. 55,300/- in fines.
The District Legal Services Authority deployed a total of five benches in Port Blair, one bench in Mayabunder, and one bench in Diglipur, with dedicated judicial officers presiding over them. The Port Blair benches were chaired by Mr Bhawani Shanker Sharma, Additional District and Sessions Judge, Port Blair, Mr. Md. Mohibulla, Joint Civil Judge (Sr. Division), Port Blair, Mr Indranil Ray, Judicial Magistrate First Class, Additional Court, Port Blair, Ms. Krishnakoli Mukherjee, Judicial Magistrate First Class, 1st Court, Port Blair, and Mr. Debabrata Biswas, Judicial Magistrate First Class, 2nd Court, Port Blair, among others.
The Mayabunder bench was presided over by Mr. Md. Rafique Alam, Chief Judicial Magistrate, N&M Andaman, Mayabunder, with support from Ms Banani Biswas, Advocate, and Ms. G. Sandhya, Legal Advisor-cum-Probation Officer, District Child Protection Unit, N&M Andaman, Mayabunder. The Diglipur bench had Mr Arnab Roy Chowdhury, Judicial Magistrate First Class, N&M Andaman, Mayabunder, at the helm, with assistance from Mr Biswajit Mondal, Advocate, and Mr. Dilip Kumar Sarkar, Head Master (Retired).
The entire program in Port Blair was organised under the supervision and guidance of Ms. Krishnakoli Mukherjee, Chief Judicial Magistrate-cum-Secretary (in-charge), DLSA, Port Blair, with the support of Mr. Bhawani Shanker Sharma, District and Sessions Judge –cum- Chairman (in-charge), DLSA, A&N Islands. Similarly, the programs in Mayabunder and Diglipur were carried out under the leadership of Mr. Md. Rafique Alam, Additional District and Sessions Judge –cum- Chairman(in-charge), Sub-divisional District Legal Services Authority, North & Middle Andaman, Mayabunder.