Chamarajanagar’s Legal Sprint: Over 1.6 Lakh Cases Settled, ₹29.6 Crore Recovered

On July 11, the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) of Chamarajanagar, together with the taluk legal services committees of Gundlupet, Kollegal and Yelandur, rolled out the second National Lok Adalat. The event turned into a legal marathon, settling a staggering 1,60,232 cases in a single day.

Principal District and Sessions Judge G Prabhavathi, who also chairs the DLSA, told reporters that the tally includes 4,602 pending court cases and a whopping 1,55,630 pre‑litigation matters. "We managed to recover ₹12.65 crore from the court‑filed disputes and another ₹16.24 crore from the pre‑litigation settlements," she said, bringing the total recovery from the National Lok Adalat to ₹28.89 crore.

But the story didn’t end there. A Special Lok Adalat held on July 18 focused on 33 cheque‑bounce cases under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act. Those hearings fetched an extra ₹71.41 lakh, nudging the overall amount recovered to ₹29.60 crore from the 1,60,265 cases handled across both events.

What makes the numbers even more remarkable is the age of some of the disputes. Several matters had been lingering in the courts for a decade or more. Among the resolved issues were 13 family squabbles, three maintenance cases between spouses, and eight cases involving senior citizens – all finally getting a legal closure.

Judge Prabhavathi also hinted at the future, announcing that the next National Lok Adalat is slated for September 12. Meanwhile, the DLSA continues its outreach, running awareness programmes that encourage people to opt for these speedy, cost‑effective settlements. Their efforts seem to be paying off, as case‑settlement figures have been rising year after year.

Senior Civil Judge and DLSA Member‑Secretary Eshwar was also present at the press conference, underscoring the administrative support behind the initiative.