The J-K government is starting a massive free legal aid service across the quake-stricken areas for quick delivery of aid. Around 50 Lok Adalats — mobile courts — will be stationed in numerous villages, devastated by the quake, to decide on the family disputes and other technical problems which have arisen over the distribution of relief.‘‘The justice will be imparted on the spot,’’ Hasnain Masoodi, the Registrar General of J-K HC told the Indian Express. ‘‘This is being done to smoothen the relief operation.’’The programme has been launched by the State Legal Services Authority — an independent legal body with J-K High Court Chief Justice B.A. Khan as its patron — and will be implemented by the lok adalats. The adalats will start operating in Tanghdar from November 13, and in Uri from November 15. ‘‘We don’t want the aid from the government to get wasted on the litigation which arises from the domestic or other disputes,’’ says Masoodi. The state administration is also a part of the effort.‘‘The joint team of SLSA and state officials will visit the villages. Besides, district judge and the lawyers there will be additional Deputy Commissioner, and officials from the PWD and Revenue,’’ Divisional Commissioner B.B. Vyas told Indian Express. He will nominate the officials from the administration. ‘‘Basically, it is an assessment review mechanism, aimed to redress any wrong classification or errors in survey reports besides the domestic disputes,’’ Vyas said.The adalats will spend two days in every village. A village-by-village schedule till December 21 has been worked out. ‘‘The justice would be conciliatory rather than adjudicatory in nature,’’ Masoodi said. The adalats will also decide on the insurance claims of the victims and press for the waiver of the documentary requirements, in case these have been lost in the debris. ‘‘The courts will be accompanied by senior officials from insurance companies who will be persuaded to waive documents in genuine cases,’’ Masoodi says.
