The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh has sought an explanation from a judicial officer and an advocate who presided over a Lok Adalat for issuing an award based on a forged settlement in a cheque bounce case (Syed Tajamul Bashir v. Farooq Ahmad Lone).
Justice Sanjay Dhar set aside the Lok Adalat Award. He directed the Registrar General of the High Court to obtain detailed explanations from both the judicial officer and the advocate involved. The Court observed, “Both of them owe an explanation to the Court for how they recorded the settlement.”
The award was issued in 2019 during a Lok Adalat organized by the Tehsil Legal Services Committee, Tangmarg. The case involved allegations of dishonored cheques totaling ₹5 lakhs. While the accused denied the allegations during trial court proceedings, the matter was later referred to Lok Adalat.
In the Lok Adalat, a settlement was purportedly recorded, where the accused allegedly agreed to pay ₹1.50 lakhs in monthly installments. However, the petitioner challenged the award before the High Court, arguing it was based on a forged settlement.
The petitioner denied any agreement or presence during the award’s issuance, claiming the signatures and thumb impressions on the award were forged. He also asserted that his counsel was not present at the Lok Adalat and had no knowledge of the settlement.
The High Court’s examination revealed significant discrepancies between the petitioner’s verified signatures in legal documents and those on the Lok Adalat award. Similarly, the signatures attributed to the petitioner’s counsel did not match official records, substantiating the forgery allegations.
In light of these findings, the Court annulled the Lok Adalat award and demanded accountability from the judicial officer and advocate for their actions. The case has been scheduled for further hearing on March 10 to address these concerns and outline the next steps.
Advocate Lone Altaf appeared for the petitioner in the matter.
