The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Efforts on to strengthen Lok Adalat

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Sunday, May 20, 2007
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Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Efforts on to strengthen Lok Adalat

Special Correspondent

Thiruvananthapuram: Minister for Law M. Vijayakumar said here on Saturday that the State Government would recommend amendments to the Legal Services Act enacted by the Centre to provide legal assistance for needy citizens. He was inaugurating a seminar on `The problems faced by the Lok Adalat and the remedial measures to be suggested,' organised by the Thiruvananthapuram District Legal Services Authority and `Abhaya.'

Problems

Mr. Vijayakumar said the Government was aware of the problems affecting the implementation of the Act designed to dispense justice to the poor and the needy. "It is up to the Union Government to amend the law. But the State Government has decided to make recommendations to the Centre based on the difficulties faced by Lok Adalats in implementing the Act in Kerala."

The Minister said the proposed amendment would empower the Lok Adalats to issue verdicts if the defence failed to turn up for the hearing. "In many cases, the adalat is helpless if the defence lawyer does not turn up despite repeated summons," he said.

Highlighting the need to strengthen the Lok Adalat as a parallel judicial mechanism, Mr. Vijayakumar said social compulsion would play a key role in dispensing justice through the alternate system. He urged lawyers and social workers to take special interest to improve the functioning of Lok Adalats.

Sugathakumari, poet and founder of `Abhaya,' said the absence of adequate powers had made a mockery of the Lok Adalat.

"Women in distress constitute a major section of the complainants who approach the Lok Adalats for justice. They are put to great difficulties when defence lawyers repeatedly fail to turn up for the hearing. In the absence of adequate powers, most of the verdicts are difficult to implement," she said.

Principal Secretary, Social Welfare, Lida Jacob called for enhanced social awareness to improve the functioning of Lok Adalats.

She proposed counselling services to augment the services offered by the adalats.

First Additional District Judge K. Viswanathan Nair presided over the function. Jurist N.R. Madhava Menon, Chief Judicial Magistrate S. Soman, `Abhaya' president P.K. Radhakrishna Pillai and First Additional Sub-Judge S. Shajahan also spoke.

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