

VIJAYAWADA: Krishna District Principal District and Sessions Judge C Yamini has urged people to make effective use of free legal aid services, improve their awareness of laws and resolve disputes expeditiously through Lok Adalats and mediation.
Marking National Legal Services Day on Monday, the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), Krishna, organised an awareness rally from Nyaya Seva Sadan on the district court premises to the District Court Centre in Machilipatnam.
Machilipatnam Bar Association president Tungala Haribabu, other advocates, panel lawyers, mediators, para-legal volunteers, court staff and representatives of various stakeholders took part in the rally.
Yamini said the National Legal Services Authority was implementing several schemes to provide legal assistance and facilitate access to government welfare benefits for senior citizens, children, persons with disabilities, acid attack survivors and unorganised sector workers.
She said a large number of cases were being settled through Lok Adalats conducted every three months and urged people to make use of the next Lok Adalat scheduled for December 12. Civil disputes and compoundable criminal cases suitable for settlement could be resolved through Lok Adalats.
She said that oevr 140 cases had been settled so far under Mediation 3.0 programme, which would continue until the end of December. Even disputes that had not reached courts could be resolved through community mediation.