Chief Justice of India D. Y. Chandrachud addresses the end of special Lok Adalat week to celebrate 75 years of the Supreme Court of India.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Chief Justice of India D. Y. Chandrachud said long-winded litigation leave the exhausted public rooting for settlement of their disputes.
Speaking at the commemoration of the week-long Special Lok Adalat at the Supreme Court on Saturday, he highlighted the importance of Lok Adalats, a forum for settling pending cases amicably, as an alternative dispute redressal mechanism. He said the process of litigation frequently became a punishment.
The Chief Justice referred to the support received from the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and the Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association (SCAORA) during the week. SCBA president, senior advocate Kapil Sibal and SCAORA president advocate Vipin Nair had joined the Lokpal Bench headed by the CJI.
Chief Justice Chandrachud said when the panels for the Lok Adalat were constituted, it was ensured that every panel would consist of two judges and two members of the Bar.
โThe purpose behind doing this was to give ownership to the advocates over the institution because this is not an institution that is only run by the judges, and this is not the institution of the judges, for the judges, by the judges,โ the CJI said.
He said the special Lok Adalat began with seven Benches initially as โwe were sceptical if we would be successfulโ. โBy Thursday we had 13 benches and there was so much work,โ he said.
โThe purpose of the Lok Adalat has been to take justice to the homes of people and assure people that we are a constant presence in their lives,โ the Chief Justice said.
The week-long special Lok Adalat celebrated 75 years of the Supreme Court.
