Six couples separated over the years reunited at lok adalats in Udupi, Dakshina Kannada

In all, six couples who had separated over the years were reunited at lok adalats in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts on Saturday.

A couple who separated in 2011 and filed for divorce decided to live together following counselling at the lok adalat on the Udupi district court premises.

The divorce application of Gopal Shetty and Ashalata Shetty, who were separated for 13 years, was among the 30,000 cases that were disposed of during the lok adalat proceedings held across 18 Benches in Udupi district. According to a release by the Udupi District Legal Services Authority, 30,302 cases were disposed of and the total settlement amount was put at ₹19.5 crore.

Mr. Gopal Shetty and Ms. Ashalata Shetty separated a few days after their marriage in 2011. A Bench, headed by Udupi Principal District and Sessions judge Kiran Siddappa Gangannavar, Additional District and Sessions judge Srinivasa Suvarna, and member-secretary of Udupi District Legal Services Authority P.R. Yogesh, mediated to resolve their dispute. The couple exchanged flower garlands and sweets in presence of the judicial officers.

Similarly, Raghavendra Acharya of Sorab and Malati of Madharti resolved their six-year differences. Following the refusal of Ms. Malati to follow a court order to live with Mr. Acharya, the latter filed for divorce in a court at Sorab in Shivamogga district. Ms. Malati approached the High Court and the divorce application was transferred to Udupi.

In the third case, Karnananda and Keertakumari, who were separated in 2021 after their marriage, also decided to live together after the lok adalat.

Three couples reunite in Dakshina Kannada

The reunion of three couples following the resolution of their divorce application was among the 41,059 cases that were disposed of during the lok adalat proceedings across 37 Benches in Dakshina Kannada district.

Of the 41,059 cases, 37,549 were pre-litigation cases, filed by finance institutions and individuals, which were resolved and the total settlement amount was ₹4.5 crore. As many as 3,510 pending cases were disposed of and the total settlement amount was ₹22.68 crore, said a statement from the Dakshina Kananada Legal Services Authority.

Published - December 14, 2024 10:45 pm IST