In the period of turbulence caused by the pandemic, Legal Services Authorities creatively adapted to the new normal and moved Lok Adalat to the virtual platform. From June, 2020 to October 2020, 27 E-Lok Adalats have been organized in 15 States wherein 4.83 lakh cases were taken up and 2.51 lakh cases disposed of resulting in settlement of Rs 1409 cr. 

Further, during November 2020, E-Lok Adalats have been organized in the States of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Telangana so far wherein 16,651 cases were taken up and 12,686 disposed of resulting in settlement of Rs 107.4 cr. 

Background

    • The global pandemic has fundamentally changed the way in which the Legal Services Institutions function.

    • To facilitate access to justice amidst the constraints placed by Covid-19 and various public health guidelines, the Legal Services Authorities have ingeniously integrated technology into its conventional methods of justice delivery.

    • Online Lok Adalat popularly known as E -Lok Adalat is one such innovation of Legal Services Institutions where technology has been used to its maximum advantage and has become a platform to deliver justice at the doorstep of people. 

    • E- Lok Adalats are also cost effective as it eliminates the need for organisational expenses.

About E-Lok Adalats

    • Organised by Legal Services Authorities, Lok Adalats (State as well as National) are an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mode wherein pre-litigation and pending cases in the courts are disposed on the basis of amicable settlement without any expense on the part of litigants.

    • It is free of cost and expeditious method of bringing litigating parties on the same side and saving them from the rigours of trial under adversarial system of adjudication which is generally perceived to be time consuming, complex and costly.

    • Lok Adalats are also instrumental in reducing the burden on arrears of the court disposal of long pending litigation between the parties.

    • Nature of Cases to be Referred to Lok Adalat

    1. Any case pending before any court.

    2. Any dispute which has not been brought before any court and is likely to be filed before the court.

    • Provided that any matter relating to an offence not compoundable under the law shall not be settled in Lok Adalat.

    • Types of Lok Adalat

    1. National Lok Adalat: National Level Lok Adalats are held for at regular intervals where on a single day Lok Adalats are held throughout the country, in all the courts right from the Supreme Court till the Taluk Levels wherein cases are disposed off in huge numbers.

    2. Permanent Lok Adalat: Permanent Lok Adalats have been set up as permanent bodies with a Chairman and two members for providing compulsory pre-litigative mechanism for conciliation and settlement of cases relating to Public Utility Services like transport, postal, telegraph etc. The Award of the Permanent Lok Adalat is final and binding on all the parties.

    3. Mobile Lok Adalats: are also organized in various parts of the country which travel from one location to another to resolve disputes in order to facilitate the resolution of disputes through this mechanism.

    4. E-Lok Adalat.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants. The views expressed here are personal.)