Justice beyond Courtroom delays

National Lok Adalats are one of the potent alternative dispute redressal mechanisms giving a sigh of relief to people facing disputes or cases pending in the court of law or at pre-litigation stage as the same can be settled amicably in a single day without any hassle and over spending of money. This facility is provided by National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) and other legal services institutions like J&K Legal Services Authority and various DLSAs across J&K.

Lok Adalats have been empowered under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 and therefore verdicts made by these Adalats are deemed to be the decrees of a civil court.  The decision is final and binding on all parties and no appeal against such an award lies before any court of law. There is no court fee in the Lok Adalats and if a matter pending in the court 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.

In this context, reportedly various Legal Services Institutions working in different districts across the UT of J&K have taken up 89,222 cases through 180 Benches established for the purpose and out of these, 83, 623 cases were amicably settled and disposed off involving an amount of Rs. 42,09,04,185 as compensation or settlement amount. The Lok Adalat proceedings were held at District Court Complexes and taluka courts, under the supervision of respective Chairpersons of District Legal Services Authorities (DLSAs), with participation from judicial officers, panel lawyers, LADCs, revenue officials, and members of the Bar. Across districts, dedicated benches were constituted to ensure swift disposal of cases relating to civil disputes, bank recovery, MACT claims, matrimonial issues, traffic challans, revenue matters, electricity bills, BSNL disputes, labour cases, and other compoundable offences. The cases were disposed of through mutual consent, significantly reducing pendency and ensuring speedy, cost-effective and accessible justice for litigants.

Going by the success of National Lok Adalat in J&K one can say that this mechanism continues to strengthen alternative dispute resolution in the Union Territory by promoting amicable settlements and reducing litigation burden on regular courts. It is pertinent to mention that the Special Lok Adalats for cases under the Negotiable Instruments Act, particularly cheque dishonour matters, shall also be held on July 18, 2026 and November 21, 2026. Besides, it is likely that the third and fourth National Lok Adalats of 2026 will be held on September 12 and December 12. Those who have failed to avail the benefit of this facility this time could take advantage in the upcoming sessions.