My Articles Page !
Speech delivered on the occasion of the Inauguration of the Brihath Lok Adalat in the High Court of Karnataka on 17.8.2002.
I am very happy that His Lordship
Sri Justice S. Rajendra Babu has been kind enough to inaugurate this Brihath Lok
Adalat function. I have no words to express my sincere thanks to his lordship for
this nice gesture. We are fortunate to hear his lordship stressing the need for
settling the cases through lok Adalat.
As you all know, Karnataka Legal
Services Authority was established in 1997 to serve the poor litigants who have
no resources to fight for justice. Those litigants who are unable to fight for their
rights or who are ignorant of rights, are mainly depending on the legal services
Authority.
Since its inception, Brother justice
A. J. Sadashiva gave momentum to the activities of the State Authority. Thereafter,
Brother justice Raveendran, who was earlier functioning as Chairman of the High
Court legal services Committee, Doing yeomen Service in an excellent manner with
his team has been given the work of Executive Chairman of the State Authority. In
his place Brother Justice P. Vishwanath Shetty has been in-charge of the High Court
Legal Services Committee.
As per the aims and objects of
the legal services Authorities Act, Lok Adalats are conducted to decide cases by
compromise or settlement between the parties in respect of pending cases and also
for pre-litigative settlement. After getting the status of statutory authority,
the Lok Adalats have started functioning successfully and more and more people are
willing to participate in Lok Adalats, in order to settle their cases. In Lok Adalats
speedy justice is available. Today, the legal services Authorities are handing a
number of cases ranging from family disputes to property disputes.
I am happy to state that the officers
and staff in the State Legal Services Authority, High Court Legal Services Committee
and the various legal Aid Committees throughout the State, under the Chairmanship
of District Judges and Civil Judges (Senior Division), with the active co-operation
of the Advocates, insurance companies, different organizations, social workers and
all concerned, are working in a team spirit and are helping the poor and needy to
get their grievances redressed.
Though regular conciliation proceedings
are arranged by the High Court Legal Services committee, with a view to spread greater
awareness among the public, whose cases are pending in the High court, state Legal
Services Authority, in co-ordination with the High Court legal services Committee,
has thought fit to have his Brihath Lok Adalat. In addition, daily Lok Adalat sittings
are being held, in which almost all the Judges, present and former, and senior advocates
have been participating. We are getting immense help and co-operation from the Insurance
Companies, employers and others. I appreciate the co-operation rendered by all concerned.
Had the beneficiaries preferred to follow the conventional modes of claiming their
rights after regular trial, it would have taken many more years for them to see
the end of their litigation. As you all know, the courts are so overburdened that
the prolonged wait is unavoidable for these unfortunate people.
You have heard the detailed reports
from the Executive Chairman of the State Legal Services Committee about the functioning
of the legal Services Committees and the Chairman of the High Court Legal Services
Committee, Brother Justice G. C. Bharuka, the inaugural speech of Hon’ble Sri Justice
S. Rajendra Babu and also the address of Sri. K. N. Subba Reddy, the President of
Advocates Association,
During the year 2001, 460 matters
were settled through Lok Adalats in the High Court and upto June this year 18,223
cases have been settled in 428 camps and a compensation of about Rs. 19 Crores was
disbursed. The dedicated and excellent work done in a team spirit, is quite appreciable.
Only on account of the unstinted efforts of the High Court legal Services Committee
all these could be achieved. This Brihat Lok Adalat has been arranged with a view
to create greater awareness and to settle more cases pending with the help of the
Insurance Companies, the State Road Transport Corporations, the advocates and the
social workers, to do more work and to achieve aims and objects of the Act.
The gracious presence of My Lord
Shri Justice S. Rajendra Babu, who has kindly attended this function, will certainly
boost the legal services programme in all the districts of the State so as to work
more effectively with co- ordination and team spirit, and we are fortunate to have
His Lordship today amongst us.
On this happy occasion, Brother
Justice Bharuka has released the Legal Literacy brochures today, which would give
greater momentum to the legal literacy programme.
I hope and trust that the conciliation
in this Brihath Lok Adalat will be very fruitful and that the litigant public will
get greater awareness about that legal services and the Lok Adalats and that more
and more cases will be settled.
I am thankful to Brother Justice Raveendran & Brother Justice Vishwanatha Shetty and other organizers of this function for giving me this opportunity to be here and to share a few of my thoughts with you all. Thank you very much.
Jai Hind.
17.8.2002
