The have bridged the gap to legal aid, but still have certain areas of improvement which could increase their efficiency even more. While conducting the proceedings, a Lok Adalat acts as a conciliator and not as an arbitrator. (decision) made by the Lok Adalats is deemed to be a decree of a civil court and The state of uncertainty and indecisiveness should be as brief as possible. It is now obligatory for the court to refer the dispute after issues are framed for settlement with the concurrence of the parties either by way of- >>> Judicial settlement including settlement through Lok Adalat, orSection 30 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 encourages arbitrators to use the mediation, conciliation or other procedures at any time during the arbitration proceedings with the agreement of the parties to encourage settlement. Settlements have an eye mainly on-The parties thereof agree or one of the parties thereof makes an application to the court for referring the case to the Lok Adalat for settlement. Observing that resolution of issues through Lok Adalats is inexpensive, speedy and without bitterness, he said "the family disputes and labour disputes can also be resolved in the Lok Adalats". A total of 3,521 cases were settled and a sum of ₹14.90 crore was awarded to litigants as settlements at the National Lok Adalat held at the Cuddalore court on Saturday. It can accept only such cases as come within their competence and capability for disposal. The disputants have control over the process of negotiation, which makes the process consumer friendly. The Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 brought about the establishment of the Lok Adalat system for settlement of disputes cheaply and expeditiously and also in the spirit of compromise by give and take formula. under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987. On its part, the Centre was prepared to sanction Rs.202.27 crore for settling up 1734 fast track courts. Lok Adalat in stricter sense is not a court of law. You can click on this link and join: Both these aspects have been analyzed in this article.Since their inception in 1982, Lok Adalats have been the instrumentalities for the poor to have “access” to justice in our country, which is troubled with more than 3.3 crore cases (2018 figures) pending for adjudication till dateA major feature of Lok Adalats to determine disputes without charging any fees has also been a strong incentive for the poor to approach the Lok Adalats for finality of their disputes.
Lok Adalat and Access to Justice: A Symphonic Interplay What is “Access to Justice”? The award passed by a Lok Adalat shall be final and binding on all the parties to the dispute. They are like village panchayats.
The court shall proceed to deal with such case from the stage, which was reached before such reference.
They have been given statutory status under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987. No appeal shall lie to any court against the award of Lok Adalat. Lok Adalats have been given statutory status The state government in consultation with Chief justice of High court might constituted the body called District legal services authority in which they had conducted Lok Adalat at regular intervals within the district itself. CONCLUSION: Lok Adalat is the system which is alternative to the existing court proceedings which saves time, money. The number of members is to be determined by the organizing authority. The award is deemed to be a decree of a civil court. The Authority or Committee organizing the Lok Adalat on receipt of application from any of the parties refers such matter to the Lok Adalat for determination. Alternative dispute Resolution is an attempt to devise machinery which should be capable of providing an alternative to the conventional methods of resolving disputes. They are:There exist considerable procedural flexibility as major procedural laws such as the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 or the Indian Evidence Act, 1882 are not strictly enforcedThere is no court fee payable when a matter is filed in a Lok AdalatUnder Section 21 of the Act, the award passed by the Lok Adalats stand final and binding.
Here all the administrative expenses and cost of functions were met out from district legal aid funds. The court if it is satisfied that there are chances for settlement or if the court is satisfied that the matter is an appropriate one to be taken cognizance of by the Lok Adalat the court shall refer the case to Lok Adalat after giving reasonable opportunity of being heard to the parties.