Table of Contents
Lok Adalat is a negotiating or conciliation system. “People’s court” is another name for it. Cases (or conflicts) that are presently in court or that are in the pre-litigation phase can be amicably resolved or compromised at Lok Adalat.The Supreme Court has provided the following explanation of what the institution entails:
The ‘Lok Adalat’ is an old form of adjudicating system that prevailed in ancient India and its validity has not been taken away even in modern days too. This system is based on Gandhian principles. As the Indian courts are overburdened with the backlog of cases involving lengthy, expensive and tedious procedures. The court takes years together to settle even petty cases. therefore, provides alternative resolution or devise for expeditious and inexpensive justice
Objectives
- Provide speedy justice.
- To generate awareness amongst the public regarding the conciliatory mode of dispute settlement and legal sanctity of Lok Adalat.
- To gear up the process of organising Adalat.
- Provide a supplementary to the mainstream legal system.
- To encourage the public to settle their cases outside the formal set-up.
- To empower the public to participate in the justice delivery system.
Aim
- There is a chairperson, two members, and a social worker in the Adalat.
- A serving or retired judge must serve as the chairman.
- A lawyer should be one of the other two members.
Importance
- Three to five year old cases comprise 16.9% of all cases filed in district and taluka courts. The National Judicial Data Grid is the source.
- In High courts, 5–10 years old make up over 20.4% of all cases, and 17% of cases are 10–20 years old.
- There are currently 66,000 cases before the Supreme Court, more than 57 lakh cases before different High Courts, and more than 3 crore cases before different district and subordinate courts.
- Because Lok Adalats are a party-driven process that facilitates amicable settlement, litigants are compelled to contact them.
Members
The people who decide matters in Lok Adalats are referred to as Members of the Lok Adalats.They are merely statutory middlemen; they have no judicial function.
Lawful
Statutory
Lok Adalats now have legislative status under the Legal Services Authorities Act of 1987.
Final award
The Lok Adalats’ ruling is regarded as a civil court’s final decision, binding on all parties, under the Legal Services Authorities Act of 1987.
No appeal
- No procedure exists for contesting the decision rendered by Lok Adalat.
- Notwithstanding the absence of an appeals process, parties may file a lawsuit if they are unhappy with the Lok Adalat’s decision.
No fee
When a disagreement is filed before a Lok Adalat, there is no court fee to be paid.The court money initially paid in the court on the petition is also given back to the parties if a dispute that is pending in the legal system is referred to the Lok Adalat and settled subsequently.
Amicable Resolutions
- The aforementioned disagreement will not be settled by the Lok Adalat on its own; rather, it will be resolved based on the parties’ compromise.
- The members will support the parties in their endeavor to settle their disagreement amicably in a sovereign and unbiased manner.
conclusion
The purpose of the Lok Adalats is to carry out the Indian Constitution’s preamble, which promises to secure social, economic, and political justice for all of the country’s citizens. The Constitution’s Article 39A supports justice based on equal opportunity and offers free legal assistance to the underprivileged and weaker segments of society. The Constitution’s Articles 14 and 22(1) further require the State to ensure equality before the law.
The Parliament passed the Legal Services Authorities Act in 1987, and on November 9, 1995, it went into effect, creating a consistent nationwide network that would offer competent legal services at no cost to the most vulnerable members of society.