What Is Lok Adalat? Features, Process, Timings & Advantage

Lok Adalats, which translates to “People’s Courts,” is an effective alternate mechanism in India. But what actually is a Lok Adalat? Let's find out.

It is an online platform for resolving legal disputes through compromise settlement outside the regular courts. They help ease the burden on the mainstream judiciary. At the same time, provide quicker, cheaper justice. Especially for minor civil, matrimonial, and petty criminal cases.

It was formed under the Legal Services Authorities Act of 1987. Lok Adalat has emerged as the most critical pillar driving India’s vision of digitally transformed, citizen-centric justice institutions.

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Overview

Lok Adalats organised by State Legal Services Authorities comprise sitting judges and lawyers. They settle disputes without the procedural requirements of regular courts. The focus is on compromise through counselling and advice rather than strict evidence examination. There are no court fees, and parties can represent themselves, avoiding lawyer fees.

Lok Adalat means a mutual settlement aimed at satisfying both parties; the verdict is held as a civil court decree binding on both sides. Yet, if talks fail, the case gets referred back to the court system. Lok Adalat helps courts clear pending backlogs, helping ease the workload on the normal courts.

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Types Of Lok Adalat

Lok Aadalats are divided into 5 main categories based on the kind of cases they deal with and on the level they work in. The major types of lok adalat are:

1. Continuous Lok Adalats: These lok adalats settle disputes in a fixed number of days.

2. Daily Lok Adalats: This is organised every single day.

3. Mobile Lok Adalats: These lok adalats are set up in a van for smaller cases and work on spreading legal awareness as well.

4. Mega Lok Adalat: These are organised by all states on one set date.

Lok Adalat Working

Lok Adalats conducted by State Legal Services Authorities provides an inexpensive and faster resolution. They work for pending civil, criminal, matrimonial, property, accident claims, and more. It happens with mutual consent between parties without the complexities of regular courts.

Key aspects of Lok Adalats include

• Free proceedings

• Flexible timings

• Promotion of compromise between disputants

The aim is to contribute towards reducing India’s massive case pendency. Lok Adalats have to date settled over 8 crore disputes with an impressive 90% success rate. This happened through a network of 30,000+ camps across states.

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Key Benefits Of Lok Adalat

There are several benefits of the Lok Adalats. Some of its major benefits for the people are listed below:

• Quick working: Lok Adalats were designed to reduce the time taken to impart justice. Hence, they are quick and efficient.

• No financial burden: People can take the help of Lok Adalats completely free of cost which saves them from the burden of heavy legal fees.

• Rural population: They were especially designed to help the rural population so that they could reach the authorities whenever needed for justice.

• Modern approach: Lok Adalats are flexible compared to other bigger courts which makes them an ideal option for people in rural areas.

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Impact Of Lok Adalats

Lok Adalats have improved the legal landscape of India considerably. It has helped people in several ways such as:

• Gateway to justice: Lok Adalats play the role of a doorway that people can pass through especially if they are from rural or remote areas of the country. Something which wasn’t accessible before.

• Good relationships: As there are tight and close-knit communities in the rural areas, Lok Adalats encourage informal settlements which helps in establishing good relationships.

• Legal awareness: Lok Adalats also imparts direct or indirect legal awareness among the people during the hearings itself.

• Technology: Lok Adalats are now taking the help of technology as well by conducting virtual sessions wherever possible.

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This Lok Adalat reboot with digitised processes has unlocked unprecedented potential. Build people's trust in India's justice delivery mechanisms beyond the conventional court system.

By incorporating world-class technology to boost the effectiveness, Lok Adalats is pioneering India’s ambitious digital justice goals, centred on accountability, transparency, and responsiveness. The stage is set for this citizen-friendly institution to drive the next wave of reforms with innovation and inclusion at its core.

Way Forward

Lok Adalat has emerged as the preferred way for citizens from all walks of life to look for efficient closure to their existing violations. Their ability to prevent mainstream cases from piling up while also upholding justice. This makes it an efficient and swift justice medium with no cost burden on the common man.

For more information, visit their official website or call at 1123382778.