Srinagar: In a major initiative aimed at promoting speedy and amicable dispute resolution, the District Judiciary Srinagar, in collaboration with the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) Srinagar, on Saturday organised the 2nd National Lok Adalat of 2026 at the District Court Complex Mominabad, Srinagar, and the Court of Additional Special Mobile Magistrate/JMIC Panthachowk.
The Lok Adalat was held under the guidance of Justice Sanjeev Kumar, Judge of the High Court of J&K and Ladakh and Executive Chairman of the J&K Legal Services Authority, and under the overall supervision of Shazia Tabasum and Haq Nawaz Zargar, Chairman DLSA Srinagar.
Justice Sanjeev Kumar inaugurated the Lok Adalat in the presence of Shazia Tabasum, Haq Nawaz Zargar, judicial officers, members of the Bar, and officials of the District Court and DLSA Srinagar.
A ceremonial guard of honour was presented by the Jammu and Kashmir Police at the beginning of the proceedings. The dignitaries also planted a sapling within the court premises to promote environmental awareness and sustainability.
The visiting dignitaries later inspected various benches set up for the Lok Adalat and interacted with litigants, encouraging amicable settlement of disputes through participatory justice mechanisms.
Speaking on the occasion, Justice Sanjeev Kumar highlighted the importance of Lok Adalats in ensuring accessible and compassionate justice.
“Lok Adalat is not merely a mechanism for resolving disputes; it creates a win-win situation for all parties involved. It saves time, reduces litigation costs, and fosters goodwill. I urge people to actively participate in such initiatives for peaceful and timely settlements,” he said.
He also stressed the importance of resolving substantial civil, criminal, and matrimonial disputes through the medium of Lok Adalats.
The event witnessed a strong response from litigants, reflecting growing public confidence in alternative dispute resolution mechanisms. A wide range of matters, including civil disputes, matrimonial cases, criminal compoundable offences, bank recovery matters, and pre-litigation cases, were taken up for settlement.
To facilitate smooth disposal of cases, 12 benches were constituted across the district.
One of the key benches dealing with Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) cases was presided over by Adnan Sayeed, Special Judge Anti-Corruption CBI Cases Srinagar, and Fayaz Ahmad Qureshi, Presiding Officer MACT Srinagar.
At the MACT bench, 58 cases were taken up, out of which 39 were amicably settled, with compensation amounting to ₹4,38,15,000 awarded to claimants. Cheques worth ₹2.20 crore were distributed on the spot among beneficiaries by Justice Sanjeev Kumar in the presence of other judicial officers.
Officials said that with the coordinated efforts of judicial officers, advocates, government departments, insurance companies, and banking institutions, a total of 72,337 cases were taken up across the district, out of which 71,844 cases were successfully settled during the Lok Adalat.
An overall settlement amount of ₹11,38,58,851 was awarded in different matters, including compensation in MACT cases.
The Executive Chairman of JKLSA also virtually interacted with a specially-abled claimant in the MACT Court and handed over the compensation cheque to his counsel on his behalf.
The Lok Adalat witnessed large participation from officers and officials of different departments, litigants, legal practitioners, and members of the public.
The successful conduct of the 2nd National Lok Adalat, officials said, reflects the judiciary’s continued commitment towards resolving disputes through mutual understanding and compromise, while also reducing pendency in courts and strengthening public faith in the justice delivery system.
