E Lok Adalats and Online Dispute Resolution

 

Lok Adalat is one of the alternative dispute redressal mechanisms, as per section 89 CPC and has been given statutory status by the Legal Services Authorities Act

  • Nature of Cases to be referred to Lok Adalat - compoundable
  • Final award: The decision made by the Lok Adalats is considered to be a verdict of a civil court and is ultimate and binding on all parties.
  • No appeal: There is no provision for an appeal against the verdict made by Lok Adalat.
  • Court fee: There is no court fee payable when a matter is filed in a Lok Adalat. If a matter pending in the court of law is referred to the Lok Adalat and is settled subsequently, the court fee originally paid in the court on the complaints/petition is also refunded back to the parties.

Hon’ble Mr. Justice N.V. Ramana, Judge of the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India and the Executive Chairman of NALSA said that “We have to learn and embrace new ways for the betterment of the society. The pandemic has brought about new and immediate challenges for the justice delivery system. Judges in various courts across the country are working through video conferencing to make justice accessible to all. This well-organized digital solution in the form of Online Dispute Resolution (ODR), a combination of technology and ADR, will give a new momentum to Lok Adalats in India

 

Chhattisgarh High

Court and the State

Legal Services

Authority organized

the country’s first

ever E-Lok Adalat

on July 11, 2020.

2,270 cases were

settled in a single

day through virtual

mode

Aug 8, 2020 Delhi

Legal Service

Authority organised

E-Lok Adalat, cases

pertaining to Motor

Accidents Claims

Tribunal (MACT)

disputes, civil

recovery matters,

cases of Electricity

Act were taken up

5,838 cases were

disposed of

Rajasthan State Legal

Services Authority in

August settled

33,476 cases through

E Lok Adalat

The E-Lok Adalat held on the

directions of J&K

State Legal

Services Authority,

exclusively through

different digital

platforms, 4,273

cases were

disposed of by 110

benches on

The Haryana State

Legal Services

Authority held an e-

Lok Adalat on August

29 In Gurugram, eight

benches have been

constituted for the

virtual hearing of at

least 525 cases,

pertaining to civil,

criminal, negotiable

instruments (bank

cheques), and traffic

challan matters

Madhya

Pradesh has also

successfully held

an E Lok Adalat

Legal

Services

Authority Odisha

organized ELok

and disposed of 2,061 cases

The Karnataka High

decided to

hold e-Lok Adalat to

clear pending cases and

ensure amicable

settlement with the

consent of the parties

particularly motor

accident and

matrimonial, and others

where petitioners are

seeking compensation

were pending before the

Lok Adalat

 

Hon’ble Mr. Justice N.V. Ramana, Judge of the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India and the Executive Chairman of NALSA said that “We have to ensure the e-Lok Adalat remains the ‘People’s Lok Adalat’, and take it to other parts of the country.”