The National Lok Adalat scheduled for March 14 across districts in West Bengal has been postponed due to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list, officials said.
According to a notification issued by the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), the decision was taken as a large number of judicial officers are currently engaged in the SIR process. As a result, the Lok Adalat will not be held on the previously scheduled date. Authorities said a fresh date will be announced later.
The development follows directions from the Supreme Court of India to deploy judicial officers for the final stages of the voter list revision process in the state.
Judges engaged in SIR work
Following the court's direction, several district and lower court judges have been assigned to examine documents and handle cases related to the SIR exercise. Officials said this has affected the regular functioning of district courts to some extent, slowing the pace of routine judicial work.
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Sources said around 60,06,675 voters have been placed in the 'under adjudication' category. Judicial officers are currently examining documents submitted by these voters to determine whether their names will be included in the supplementary electoral roll before the assembly elections.
A few weeks ago, a bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant referred to a status report from the Calcutta High Court during proceedings in the Supreme Court. The report suggested that if each judge disposed of an average of 250 hearings per day, it would take about 80 days to complete the process.
Number of judges increased
At that time, about 250 judges were engaged in the SIR work. However, sources from the Chief Electoral Officer’s office said the number has now increased to around 530 judicial officers.
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The Supreme Court had also allowed the use of civil judges from both senior and junior divisions for the work. In addition, the court permitted authorities to seek assistance from judges of neighbouring states, such as Jharkhand and Odisha, if necessary.
Lok Adalats are held several times a year across court premises in the state and across India. They usually deal with cases such as traffic violations, accident claims, matrimonial disputes, and property-related matters, often offering low-cost or free legal assistance.
Officials said the Lok Adalat will be rescheduled once the SIR-related judicial work is reduced.
