The e-court concept was extended to Lok Adalat in Odisha and the first e-Lok Adalat was held in all the 30 district courts of the state and in Orissa High Court on Saturday.
Keeping in view the safety of the litigants and complying with Covid-19 guidelines, at least 2,061 cases were disposed of by different e-Lok Adalats and a record 171 pre- litigation cases were also settled, sources in the Odisha State Legal Services Authority said.
Sources further said that Odisha is one of the few states in the country to have conducted e-Lok Adalat considering the difficulties of the litigants during this ongoing pandemic. Rajasthan, Delhi, Chhattisgarh and Jammu and Kashmir have done so earlier, they added.
The entire process of adjudication was conducted through video conferencing among the judges, lawyers, litigants, insurance companies and bank representatives. At least 107 motor accident claim appeals were settled on the day by the e-Lok Adalat of the High Court in which nearly Rs seven crore was awarded to the claimants.
Similarly, the district-level e-Lok Adalats settled as many as 665 Motor Accident Claim Tribunal cases in which nearly Rs 30 crore claims were settled and awarded. Under the Legal Services Authorities Act, the awards made by the Lok Adalats are deemed to be a decree of a civil court and is final and binding on all parties.