Road to Justice

“We had received a special invitation from Maharashtra State Legal Services Authority (MSLSA) to be a part of the programme that offered good exposure to our law students,” said Mayuri Krishnakant Desai,one of the professors who participated in the event,along with professor Sandesh Shegaonkar.

According to the students,the concept of Lok-Adalat or Mobile-Court (Court Tumche Dwarat) not only saves time for the involved parties but also reduces the burden of the court. Says Sandeep Bali,a final year student,“We got to learn a lot by being present at the hearing of cases. Perhaps this concept,which brings justice at the door,is the fastest possible way of solving pending cases.”

Around 800 people attended the mobile-court at Lonavala,while the turnout at Kamshet was around 600. During the two-day event,as many as 80 cases were solved at Lonavala and 106 cases in Kamshet. The mobile-court was headed by a three-member committee,consisting of retired justice Z H Qazi,advocate S G Baware (president,Vadgaon Bar Association) and justice Ashwini Lokhande,who is also the district judge of Vadgaon.

Besides attending the programme,another task that the group handled was to create awareness on the three topics assigned to them by MSLSA,which included Medical Termination of Pregnancy,Domestic Violence Act and Rights of the Senior Citizens. “We organised a few street plays,distributed pamphlets and put up posters to educate people about these topics,” said Anuradha Dhamale,one of the students who participated in the event.

Mobile-Court
Also known as ‘Court At Your Doorstep’ or ‘Justice On Wheels’,the concept of Mobile-Court was introduced by the Supreme Court of India. Cases relating to a particular area are studied and papers are carried on a particular day to such areas. The people involved in such cases are informed beforehand. The court conducts itself on the principles of natural justice and guidelines given by the Supreme Court. The court on wheels does not have any specific timing to complete its proceedings,and the aim is solely to resolve as many cases as possible. The decision of the court is binding on parties involved.