Patna, Advocate Suman Kumari, Legal Correspondent, 10th May 2026: In a landmark achievement for the judiciary and alternative dispute resolution system in Bihar, the State-wide National Lok Adalat organised under the leadership of Justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo witnessed the disposal of more than 1.09 lakh cases across the State in a single day.
The massive legal outreach programme was conducted on May 9th 2026, under the aegis of the Bihar State Legal Services Authority (BSLSA). The initiative was guided by Chief Justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo, Patron-in-Chief of BSLSA, along with Justice Sudhir Singh, Executive Chairman of BSLSA.
The Lok Adalat turned out to be one of the most successful legal settlement drives in Bihar’s judicial history, with unprecedented public participation and large-scale disposal of pending disputes, including traffic challan matters, bank recovery cases, matrimonial disputes, NI Act matters, labour disputes, electricity cases, MACT claims and other compoundable matters.
Bihar Witnesses Record Disposal
According to official figures released by BSLSA:
- Traffic Challan Pre-Litigation Matters Disposed: 42,535
- Traffic Challan Post-Litigation Matters Disposed: 3,184
- Total Traffic Challan Cases Disposed: 45,719
Apart from challan cases:
- Total Pre-Litigation Cases Disposed: 71,275
- Total Post-Litigation Cases Disposed: 48,653
- Grand Total Cases Disposed Across Bihar: 1,09,928
For the first time in Bihar, traffic challan matters were taken up on such a massive scale through the Lok Adalat mechanism, providing relief to thousands of citizens and significantly reducing pendency.
Patna Tops Entire Bihar in Traffic Challan Disposal
Among all districts, Patna emerged as the top-performing district in disposal of traffic challan cases. Out of nearly 20,000 traffic challan matters disposed of across Bihar, Patna alone settled 10,119 traffic challan cases, making it the highest-performing district in the State.
The remarkable success of Patna has largely been credited to the tireless efforts of Principal District & Sessions Judge Rupesh Dev and Chief Judicial Magistrate Manish Upadhyay, who continuously worked to spread awareness about the National Lok Adalat among the general public and ensured extensive outreach at the grassroots level.
Judicial officers, lawyers, administrative officials, police authorities, transport department personnel and para legal volunteers actively coordinated to make the initiative successful.
Chief Justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo’s Ground-Level Monitoring Wins Praise
What made this Lok Adalat truly exceptional was the direct involvement and on-ground supervision by Chief Justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo himself.
As a legal correspondent, I personally witnessed this historic moment. Despite intense heat and humid weather conditions, Chief Justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo, along with Justice Mohit Kumar Shah, continuously monitored the functioning of Lok Adalat benches throughout the day.
It was perhaps for the first time that many members of the legal fraternity saw a sitting Chief Justice and High Court judges personally visiting court premises, inspecting arrangements at ground zero, interacting with judicial officers and ensuring smooth functioning of the entire mechanism.
Their active participation sent a strong message that the judiciary is not confined to courtrooms alone, but is deeply committed to ensuring accessible, affordable and speedy justice for ordinary citizens.
Many advocates and litigants present during the proceedings described the effort as “historic” and “people-centric.”
A Defining Chapter in Patna High Court’s History
The overwhelming success of the National Lok Adalat has reinforced public faith in alternative dispute resolution mechanisms and demonstrated the Bihar judiciary’s commitment to reducing pendency through innovative and citizen-friendly initiatives.
The event has also significantly elevated the image of the Patna High Court as an institution actively working toward judicial accessibility and efficiency.
Legal observers believe that whenever the modern history of Patna High Court is written, the contribution of Chief Justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo toward judicial reforms, public outreach and effective implementation of Lok Adalat mechanisms will be remembered prominently.
The Bihar State Legal Services Authority, meanwhile, reiterated its commitment to further strengthening Lok Adalat and alternative dispute resolution systems to ensure quick and affordable justice reaches every citizen of Bihar.
