LUCKNOW, April 5 -- ]Taking a serious note of a Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal (MACT) Sultanpur presiding officer not releasing an over Rs 7 lakh insurance claim to a widow despite HC instruction for the same issued in 2019, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court has sought an explanation from the presiding officer for the delay in payment to the petitioner. Justice Jaspreet Singh passed the order on April 3 while hearing a petition filed by Renoo Singh seeking directives for payment of compensation amount. The court found that at a Lok Adalat on September 14, 2019, the high court had ordered the compensation amount be released within 60 days but the woman was yet to receive the amount even after six years. The court said the record indicated that a dispute existed between the woman's former and current lawyer and the MACT had passed an order that without hearing the woman's previous lawyer. "From a perusal of the order dated 06.02.2026, the manner and the content of the order passed by the Presiding Officer of the M.A.C.T Sultanpur indicating that without hearing the erstwhile counsel of the petitioner, the amount cannot be withdrawn and it is not acceptable and it raises a question that under what authority the Presiding Officer of the M.A.C.T Sultanpur could have passed such order," the court said. "Let explanation be furnished by the Presiding Officer by the next date." The matter was posted for next hearing on April 10. htc...