Supreme Court Chief Justice DY Chandrachud said on Saturday that people are so tired of court proceedings that they just want some kind of settlement.
He said that the judicial process has become a punishment for litigants. People often accept low settlements to get rid of it.
CJI Chandrachud, while highlighting the role and importance of Lok Adalats, said that this (Lok Adalat) is a platform where disputes and cases pending in courts or before litigation are settled amicably. He said that no appeal can be filed against a settlement reached by mutual consent.
Justice Chandrachud was addressing the closing ceremony of the ‘Special Lok Adalat’ organized on the occasion of completion of 75 years of the Supreme Court.
At the conclusion of this special Lok Adalat which was held from 29th July to 3rd August, he said that people get so disturbed with the court proceedings that they want any compromise in the court cases, this is a matter of concern for all of us as judges.
There is a need to institutionalise Lok Adalat
Chief Justice Chandrachud said that there is a need to institutionalise the process of dispensation of justice through Lok Adalats.
He said that he got support from all including bar and bench (lawyers and judges) at every level in setting up the Lok Adalat.
In his address, the CJI said that when he had constituted panels for the special Lok Adalat, it was ensured that each panel would have two judges and two lawyers. He said that the motive behind doing so was to give ownership of the institution to the advocates as it is not an institution run by judges alone. He said that it is not an institution of judges, by judges, for the judges. Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, other Supreme Court judges, Bar Association officials attended the occasion.
This is the Supreme Court of the country, not of Delhi: CJI
The Chief Justice said that even though the Supreme Court is in Delhi, it is not the Supreme Court of Delhi. It is the Supreme Court of India.
He said that since I assumed the post of Chief Justice, we have tried to bring officers from all over the country into the registry of the Supreme Court.
According to the Supreme Court, 14,045 cases were marked for special Lok Adalat. 4,883 cases were listed before Lok Adalat benches and out of these, 920 cases were settled.
The Indian Supreme Court is different from the US Supreme Court
Chief Justice Chandrachud said that the purpose behind establishing the Supreme Court in India was not to settle only 180 constitutional matters on the lines of the US Supreme Court.
Its purpose was to ensure access to justice to the people i.e. ‘Justice at everyone’s doorstep’. He also said that the purpose of Lok Adalat is also to deliver justice to people’s homes and to ensure people that we are constantly present in their lives.
Mediation is part of Indian culture: Law Minister Meghwal
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, who attended the function organised at the Supreme Court, said that ‘mediation is a part of Indian culture.’
He said that Lord Krishna had tried to mediate between the Kauravas and the Pandavas in the Mahabharata. Law Minister Meghwal said that the power of introspection helps in resolving disputes.
Praising the role of Lok Adalats in resolving matrimonial disputes, the Union Minister said that the work which earlier used to be done by the elders of the family is now being done by the alternative dispute resolution system.
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