Lok Adalats

On a Saturday morning, a court in Belapur is full of people who are not shouting. A man and a bank are sitting across from each other, a retired judge is talking quietly, and by lunchtime a loan recovery case that has dragged on for years is settled. No evidence, no cross-examination, no appeal. That is a Lok Adalat, the people’s court of Indian law. What gives it power, which cases can it take, and why can nobody appeal its award?

In two minutes

A Lok Adalat is a forum organised under Chapter VI of the Legal Services Authorities Act to reach a compromise between the parties in pending cases or in pre-litigation matters; its award is deemed a civil court decree, is final and binding, and is not open to appeal.

The rest of this chapter

The full explanation, the cheat sheet, every previous-year question at every mark weight, the quiz and the answer skeletons are part of Practical Training – II: Alternate Dispute Resolution on LexBlox Semester. Sign in to unlock the subject, or read Module 1 of Legal Language and Writing free.