138 Service-Related Cases Resolved Through Lok Adalat

First Lok Adalat in MAT’s 33-Year History; 126 Applicants Gain Government Jobs in Three Cases

Mumbai : For the first time in its 33-year history, the Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal (MAT) organized a Lok Adalat. Out of 542 service-related cases, 138 were resolved through mutual settlement.

This innovative initiative was successfully carried out under the guidance of Tribunal Chairperson Justice Mridula Bhatkar. The Lok Adalat was jointly organized by the Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal and the Mumbai High Court Legal Services Committee. Three panels were constituted for the Lok Adalat. Justice Vinay Joshi, retired members (Justice) A. P. Kunhekar, and R. B. Malik served as panel heads. Members Nitin Gadre (Nagpur), Vijaykumar (Aurangabad), Vijaya Chauhan, Sandesh Tadvi, R. M. Kolge, and M. B. Kadam were also part of the panels. Long-pending cases presented in the Lok Adalat were scrutinized by the Chief Presenting Officer, Swati Manchekar.

During the Lok Adalat, 138 cases were resolved out of the 542 cases pending across the Nagpur, Mumbai, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar benches. This included 39 cases out of 238 from the Mumbai bench, 63 cases out of 150 from the Nagpur bench, and 36 cases out of 154 from the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar bench.

126 Applicants Secure Government Jobs Through Three Cases

In three cases resolved during the Lok Adalat, 126 applicants gained access to government jobs. Of the 171 posts reserved for ex-servicemen in the Water Conservation Department and 218 posts in the Agriculture Department, some remained vacant due to a lack of eligible ex-servicemen candidates. Following mutual settlement in the Lok Adalat, the remaining vacant positions were made available to other applicants. This decision ensures that 126 candidates will now secure government jobs without causing any injustice to ex-servicemen.

The success of the Lok Adalat was made possible through the efforts of Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik, secretaries of all departments, tribunal officers and staff, the Chief Presenting Officer, members of the Tribunal Bar Association, and all government nodal officers.