Hundreds of cases across different courts and legal services centres in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands were taken up and disposed of during the National Lok Adalat held on December 13, reflecting a coordinated effort by the Legal Services Authorities to promote alternative dispute resolution and reduce the burden on regular courts. The island-wide exercise covered Sri Vijaya Puram, Mayabunder, Diglipur and Campbell Bay, with proceedings held both physically and through virtual mode.
At Sri Vijaya Puram, the High Court Legal Services Committee, Circuit Bench of the Calcutta High Court, in association with the Andaman and Nicobar State Legal Services Authority, conducted the fourth National Lok Adalat at the Circuit Bench Complex. The Lok Adalat bench made efforts to settle matters amicably, in keeping with the objectives of Lok Adalats to provide expeditious and cost-effective resolution of disputes. Of the four matters listed before the bench, three were successfully disposed of during the sitting.
Simultaneously, the District Legal Services Authority organised Lok Adalat proceedings at the District Court Building, the ADR Centre “Prayas” in Sri Vijaya Puram, and the Sub-Divisional Court complexes at Mayabunder and Diglipur. Proceedings at Campbell Bay were conducted through virtual mode, extending the reach of the initiative to remote parts of the Islands. In total, hundreds of pre-litigation and pending court cases were referred to the Lok Adalat across these locations.
At Sri Vijaya Puram, a large number of pre-litigation cases related to bank recovery and BSNL dues were taken up. Eighteen bank recovery cases involving an amount of over Rs. 78 lakh were settled at a reduced amount of Rs. 45.30 lakh, providing relief to borrowers while enabling recovery for banks. A portion of the settled amount was realised on the spot. Similarly, three BSNL recovery cases involving smaller sums were settled at reduced amounts and realised immediately. One money suit and one pre-litigation case already registered were also settled through mutual agreement, with payments made on the spot.
Apart from financial recovery cases, a substantial number of criminal compoundable cases were disposed of during the Lok Adalat at Sri Vijaya Puram, resulting in the realisation of fines running into several lakhs of rupees. Cases from Campbell Bay taken up through virtual mode also led to the imposition and collection of fines, demonstrating the use of technology to extend dispute resolution mechanisms to distant locations.
In North and Middle Andaman, separate benches were constituted at Mayabunder and Diglipur. At Mayabunder, pre-litigation bank recovery cases were settled at negotiated amounts, while a large number of pending criminal compoundable cases were disposed of, leading to the collection of fines. At Diglipur, bank recovery and BSNL cases were similarly taken up, with settlements reached at amounts lower than the original claims. Pending criminal cases were also disposed of, contributing further to fine realisation.
The District Legal Services Authority constituted multiple benches at Sri Vijaya Puram and additional benches at Mayabunder and Diglipur to handle the volume of cases. Judicial officers, advocates and social workers were part of these benches, reflecting the collaborative nature of Lok Adalat proceedings. The arrangements and coordination for the programme were overseen by the respective Legal Services Authorities at the district and sub-divisional levels.
The National Lok Adalat forms part of a countrywide schedule coordinated by the National Legal Services Authority, aimed at providing accessible justice and reducing pendency through consensual settlements. In the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the scale of participation and volume of disposals during the December 13 sitting highlighted the continuing reliance on Lok Adalats as an effective mechanism for resolving disputes, particularly in cases involving financial recovery and minor criminal offences.
