Lok adalat proves bittersweet for litigants

MADURAI: For many litigants the Mega Lok Adalat held at the Madurai bench of the high court on Saturday proved to be a great relief as their long-pending cases were resolved. However, some litigants were disappointed with the outcome of cases settled, though a few among them felt relieved as their court wrangles have come to an end. But some felt unlucky as their unresolved cases will drag on in the courts.

At the Madurai bench, 80 cases were settled out of the 761 pending cases listed.

P Karuppaiah, 47, a resident of Panayapatti in Pudukottai district, had to settle for Rs 1.90 lakh as accident compensation, though he had claimed a larger amount. “I plan to use the amount for my son’s job needs,” he said.

Karuppaiah’s life took a tragic turn after he returned to Pudukkottai from Malaysia in 2005. He met with a road accident on September 29 that year. Bed-ridden after amputation of a leg, he developed bed sores. Karuppaiah, who was earning Rs 30,000 per month as a cook overseas, was mired in financial distress soon.

Claiming Rs 25 lakh as compensation, he had filed a suit against National Insurance Company at the motor accidents claim tribunal, Pudukkottai in 2006. The tribunal passed an award of Rs 5.27 lakh to him on December 23, 2009. Aggrieved over the amount, he filed appeal against the insurer in 2011 seeking more as damages. The case was pending at the high court bench since then. During negotiation, he demanded Rs 2.5 lakh. Lastly, it was settled for Rs.1.90 lakh, said his counsel RMS Sethuraman.

When asked why he settled for that much-lower amount, Karuppaiah said he was in dire straits. “My six-member family is now dependent on the income from my 80-year-old mother Ponnamma and 40-year old wife Vasantha. While his mother takes up work under the under National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, his wife works in an aganwadi and earns Rs 3,000 per month. Besides, my eldest son, who completed engineering course after obtaining bank loan, is looking for a job in Singapore. Rs 3 lakh is needed for the visa,” Karuppaiah said.

In another case, a widow, Venkateswari, who hoped to settle her decade-old insurance case realised that she still has to fight on. Her case was returned to the court as the insurance company did not accept her request. Her husband had died in an accident in 2002. Seeking compensation she had filed case against the insurer at the sub-court in Sivakasi, which awarded Rs16.20 lakh in 2009. Challenging it, the company appealed at the high court bench in 2012.

At the lok adalat, Venkateswari had claimed Rs 16 lakh. But, the insurer was willing for Rs 13 lakh. “As the amount was not accepted, the matter was returned to the court, said her counsel K Sethu Ramanujam.

In another case, though both parties to the case gave their consent to settle the matter, their case details didn’t reach the Lok Adalat. A few claimants of the case had come from abroad.

Jogra Beevi (65) of Kumbakonam died in the accident on June 25, 2006 at Kumbakonam bus stand. Her dependents Ahmad Basha, Jegarunisa and four others filed petition at the Additional sub-court in Kumbakonam against the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (Kumbakonam). The sub court passed award of Rs.5.34 lakh to the dependents on November 30 last year.

But, the transport corporation refused to give it at that time.

Lok adalat proves bittersweet for litigants