Loading…
A statutory forum for settling disputes by compromise, whose award has the force of a civil court decree and cannot be appealed against.
A Lok Adalat, literally a 'people's court', is a forum where disputes pending in a court or at a pre-litigation stage are settled by compromise between the parties. It is not a court in the ordinary sense: it does not take evidence, does not decide who is right, and cannot impose a decision. What it does is bring the parties together with the help of a presiding officer and arrive at a settlement they both accept. The institution was given statutory status by the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, and it draws its constitutional justification from Article 39A, which directs the state to secure equal justice and free legal aid. The distinctive feature of a Lok Adalat is what happens to its outcome: the award is deemed to be a decree of a civil court, is final and binding on the parties, and no appeal lies against it.
Type: ProcessStatutory backing — organised under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 by legal services authorities at national, state, district and taluk levels
Settlement by compromise — the forum facilitates agreement rather than adjudicating the dispute
Award as a decree — the award is deemed a decree of a civil court and is executable as such
No appeal — the award is final and binding, and no appeal lies against it, though parties may litigate afresh if no settlement is reached
No court fee — proceedings are free, and court fee already paid on a case referred to a Lok Adalat is refunded if the matter is settled
Jurisdiction — civil disputes and compoundable criminal offences may be settled; non-compoundable offences may not
Pre-litigation cases — disputes may be brought before a settlement even reaches a court
Frequency: A recurring topic in UPSC Prelims polity and in SSC and banking general awareness sections
A Lok Adalat is normally organised on scheduled dates by the relevant legal services authority, with cases referred either by a court where they are pending or brought directly by parties before litigation begins.
Step 1: A case is referred by the court where it is pending, or brought directly at the pre-litigation stage by a party
Step 2: The Lok Adalat bench — typically a judicial officer with a lawyer and a social worker — hears both sides informally
Step 3: The bench persuades the parties towards a compromise, without recording evidence or ruling on the merits
Step 4: If the parties agree, the terms are recorded as an award, which is deemed a decree of a civil court
Step 5: If no agreement is reached, the case returns to the referring court and proceeds normally; nothing said in the Lok Adalat prejudices either party
| Aspect | Lok Adalat | Permanent Lok Adalat |
|---|---|---|
| Subject matter | Any civil dispute and compoundable criminal offences | Disputes relating to public utility services |
| If parties do not agree | The case returns to the referring court | The Permanent Lok Adalat may decide the dispute on merits |
| Nature | Organised periodically on scheduled dates | A permanent, standing forum |
| Basis of the outcome | Compromise between the parties | Compromise, failing which a decision on merits |
| Appeal | No appeal lies against the award | No appeal lies against the award |
Indian courts carry a pendency measured in tens of millions of cases, and a large share of that backlog consists of disputes that are not genuinely contested — cheque bouncing cases, motor accident compensation claims, bank recovery matters, matrimonial disputes and utility bills — where the parties would settle if brought together. National Lok Adalats, held on scheduled days across the country, dispose of very large numbers of such cases in a single sitting, and they do so without court fee and without the possibility of an appeal prolonging the matter. The limitation is equally important for an exam answer: because a Lok Adalat settles rather than adjudicates, it cannot lay down any legal principle, and a party with weak bargaining power may accept an unequal compromise simply to end the litigation. Lok Adalats therefore relieve the symptom of pendency without touching its causes, which lie in judicial vacancies and procedural delay.
Statutory forum under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987
Constitutional basis: Article 39A, equal justice and free legal aid
Settles disputes by compromise; does not adjudicate
Award is deemed a decree of a civil court; final and binding; no appeal lies
No court fee; fee already paid is refunded on settlement
Compoundable criminal offences may be settled; non-compoundable ones may not
Permanent Lok Adalats handle public utility service disputes and may decide on merits
NALSA is the apex body, with the Chief Justice of India as Patron-in-Chief
No. The award is final and binding on the parties and no appeal lies against it, because it rests on a compromise the parties themselves accepted.
The Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987. Its constitutional basis is Article 39A, which directs the state to secure equal justice and free legal aid.
Non-compoundable criminal offences cannot be settled. Civil disputes and compoundable criminal offences can be.
An ordinary Lok Adalat can only record a settlement, and the case returns to court if the parties disagree. A Permanent Lok Adalat, which deals with public utility services, may decide the dispute on merits if no settlement is reached.
No court fee is charged, and any court fee already paid on a case that is settled in a Lok Adalat is refunded.