Hoshiarpur (Daljit Ajnoha):- The quarterly meeting of the District Legal Services Authority, Hoshiarpur, was held today under the chairmanship of District and Sessions Judge-cum-Chairman of the District Legal Services Authority, Rajinder Aggarwal. During the meeting, a review was conducted of the free legal aid, legal counselling, legal awareness seminars, disposal of cases at the Mediation and Conciliation Centre, and the functioning of Lok Adalats provided by the Authority from July 1 to September 30.
The meeting was informed that during the quarter, a total of 167 people in Hoshiarpur received free legal aid through panel advocates, defence counsel and pro bono advocates. Of these, 70 people received legal assistance through panel advocates, while 97 were assisted through defence counsel and pro bono advocates. In addition, 97 people received legal advice, and 182 seminars were organised to make the general public aware of their legal rights and the legal services available to them.
It was also reported that 33 cases were settled at the Mediation and Conciliation Centre during the quarter. Under the Victim Compensation Scheme, six cases were settled and compensation awards totalling Rs. 20,50,000 were granted. In addition, 10 cases were disposed of through the camp court, or the persons concerned were released.
During the Special Lok Adalat held on July 18, 2026, a total of 400 cases were taken up, of which 76 were settled. The total settlement amount in these cases was Rs. 2,08,45,830.
Providing information about the upcoming Lok Adalats, the District and Sessions Judge stated that a Special Lok Adalat would be held on November 21, 2026, to settle cheque-bounce cases. This would be followed by a National Lok Adalat on December 12, 2026. The general public was urged to take advantage of Lok Adalats to resolve disputes promptly and at lower cost through mutual consent.
Those present at the meeting included Additional District and Sessions Judge Gurmohan Singh, CJM-cum-Secretary of the District Legal Services Authority Neeraj Goyal, CJM Ajaypal Singh, Assistant Commissioner Gurpreet Kaur, Jail Superintendent Harcharan Singh Gill, Deputy Attorney General Pawanpreet Singh, District Bar Association Secretary P.S. Kang, Darshan Kaushal and Assistant Public Relations Officer Lokesh Kumar, along with other officials.
