FIELD REPORT 2022
REPORT ON LOK
ADALAT
AT
PERMANENT LOK ADALAT- I, MATA SUNDRI LANE, NEW DELHI- 110002,
ON 16.05.2022
FIELD REPORT 2022
Report Submitted to:
Dr. Apeksha Kumari
Report Submitted by:
Name: Priyanka joshi
Class Roll No. 216691
Exam Roll No. 19310806577
FIELD REPORT 2022
Introduction of the Lok Adalat
Lok Adalat (People's Court) is a Statutory Organisation under the Legal Services Authorities Act,
1987, and was created as an alternative dispute resolution mechanism usedin India. It is a forum
where cases pending on panchayat, or at a pre-litigation stage in a court of law, are settled. Under this
Act, the award (decision) made by the Lok Adalats is deemed tobe a civil court case and is final and
binding on all parties. No appeal against such an award lies before any court of law. If the parties are
not satisfied with the award of the Lok Adalat (though there is no provision for an appeal against such
an award), they are free to initiate litigation by approaching the court of appropriate jurisdiction
Lok Adalat is one of the alternative dispute redressal mechanisms, it is a forum where
disputes/cases pending in the court of law or at pre-litigation stage are settled/ compromised
amicably. Lok Adalats have been given statutory status under the Legal Services Authorities
Act, 1987. Therefore, it is critical for my understanding of the court process.
Section 22 B of The Legal Services Authorities Act 1987 provides for the establishment of
Permanent Lok Adalats (PLA) for exercising jurisdiction in respect of one or more public
utility services (PUS). Section 22 A of The Legal Services Authorities Act 1987 states what
constitutes 'Public Utility Services' for the purpose of Permanent Lok Adalat.
Lok Adalats are constituted at below levels-National, State, District and Taluk:
State Authorities.
High Court.
District and Taluk level.
Types of Lok Adalat:
Permanent Lok Adalat - Provides a mechanism for disposing of cases relating to public
utility services, transport, postal and telegraph.
National Lok Adalat - Since 2015, these have been held every month on specific topics
across India. They are held on a single day disposing of a large number of pending cases.
Mega Lok Adalat - Held across all courts in the state on a single day.
Mobile Lok Adalats - These types of Lok Adalats are organised occasionally, and they
travel from one place to another across the country to help resolve disputes.
The following types of cases can be admitted in Lok Adalat.
1. Any dispute or case pending in any court of law in India:
Criminal offences which are non compoundable.
Cases under section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act.
Issues relating to the recovery of money.
Issues under the Indian Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
Issues relating to labour disputes.
Issues relating to public utility bills such as electricity or water, excluding non-
compoundable offences.
Issues relating to matrimony.
2. Any dispute that is planned to be filed in Court but did not come up for a hearing.
FIELD REPORT 2022
3. Following Pre-Litigation, cases can also be filed in Lok-Adalat:
Cases under section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act.
Cases relating to the recovery of money.
Issues relating to labour disputes.
Issues relating to public utility bills such as electricity or water, excluding non-
compoundable offences.
General maintenance-related disputes.
Other miscellaneous cases that are civil disputes, criminal compoundable cases and
matrimonial disputes.
My visit to Permanent Lok Adalat
On the 16th ,June, 2022, I had an opportunity to visit and witness the proceedings of Permanent Lok
Adalat for settlement electricity disputes of BSES Yamuna Power Ltd. (BSES YPL), BSES Rajdhani
Power Limited (BSES RPL) Tata Power Distribution Limited (TPDDL), at Mata Sundri Lane , New
Delhi . I reached there at 9.30 AM and waited patiently for the proceedings to begin in various
courtrooms. We, the student groups, were allotted Court room numbers by the extremely helpful staff
at the court.
After getting the court rooms allotted to us, we were dispatched to the specified court rooms for
observing the court proceedings and learning. Lok Adalat is one of the alternative dispute redressal
mechanisms, it is a forum where disputes/cases pending in the court of law or at pre-litigation stage
are settled/ compromised amicably. Lok Adalats have been given statutory status under the Legal
Services Authorities Act, 1987. Therefore, it is critical for my understanding of the court process.
My group of students was allotted the court room number I, presided over by Shri. B. R Kedia
(Chairperson), Shri Indra Vir Singh (Member), Shri P. K. Goyal (Member). The session was
interactive as the honorable presiding officer asked our view points regarding the facts in issues.
I observed the following:-
The Lok Adalat is presided over by a sitting or retired judicial officer as the chairman, with
two other members, usually a lawyer and a social worker.
Main condition of the Lok Adalat is that both parties in dispute should agree for settlement.
There is no court fee.
If the case is already filed in the regular court, the fee paid will be refunded if the dispute is
settled at the Lok Adalat
The procedural laws and the Evidence Act are not strictly followed while assessing the merits
of the claim by the Lok Adalat
The decision of the Lok Adalat is binding on the parties to the dispute and its order is capable
of execution through legal process.
No appeal lies against the order of the Lok Adalat.
Lok Adalat is very effective in settlement of money claims. Disputes like partition suits,
damages and matrimonial cases can also be easily settled before Lok Adalat, as the scope for
compromise through an approach of give and take is high in these cases.
Lok Adalats (people’s courts) settle dispute through Conciliation and compromise. The procedure
followed at a Lok Adalat is very simple and devoid of almost all legal formalism and rituals. The Lok
Adalat is presided over by a sitting or retired judicial officer as the chairman, with two other members,
usually a lawyer and a social worker.
I got to know from the court master that in Lok Adalat it is easier to settle money claims since in most
such cases the quantum alone may be in dispute. Thus the motor accident compensation claim cases
are brought before the Lok Adalat and a number of cases were disposed of in my court room.
One important thing I learnt in the court is that both parties in dispute should agree for settlement
through Lok Adalat and abide by its decision. A Lok Adalat has the jurisdiction to settle, by way of
effecting compromise between the parties, any matter which may be pending before any court, as well
as matters at pre-litigative stage i.e. disputes which have not yet been formally instituted in any court
of law. Such matters may be civil or criminal in nature, but any matter relating to an offence not
compoundable under any law cannot be decided by the Lok Adalat even if the parties involved therein
agree to settle the same.
A new insight I gained after talking with the judge and the advocates there was that Lok Adalats can
take cognizance of matters involving not only those persons who are entitled to avail free legal
services but of all other persons also, be they women, men, or children and even institutions. Anyone,
or more of the parties to a dispute can move an application to the court where their matter may be
pending, or even at pre-litigative stage, for such matter being taken up in the Lok Adalat bench
constituted for the purpose shall attempt to resolve the dispute by helping the parties to arrive at an
amicable solution and once it is successful in doing so, the award passed by it shall be final which has
as much force as a decree of a civil court obtained after due contest.
I didn’t know of these intricacies before I went to the LokAdalat. It was quite a delightful experience.
I learnt real life court room procedures are vastly different from text book procedures. Also, in the
Court Room No. I, matters relating to settlement of electricity disputes were being considered by the
honorable judges. Although I could not hear clearly as the court rooms were overcrowded and matters
were being disposed off in a quick manner, I got to learn quite a few things by speaking to the
advocates, who were very helpful and friendly.
I learnt that the benefits that litigants derive through Lok Adalat are many, namely—
There is no court fee and even if the case is already filed in the regular court, the fee paid will
be refunded if the dispute is settled at the Lok Adalat.
There is no strict application of the procedural laws and the Evidence Act while assessing the
merits of the claim by the Lok Adalat. The parties to the disputes though represented by their
Advocate can interact with the Lok Adalat judge directly and explain their stands in the dispute
and the reasons therefore, which is not possible in a regular court of law.
Disputes can be brought before the Lok Adalat directly instead of going to a regular court first
and then to the Lok Adalat.
The decision of Lok Adalat is binding on the parties to the dispute and its order is capable of
execution through legal process. No appeal lies against the order of the Lok Adalat whereas in
regular courts of law there is always a scope to appeal to the higher forum on the decision of
the trial court, which cause delay in the settlement of dispute finally. The reason being that in a
regular court, decision is that of the court but in Lok Adalat it is mutual settlement and hence
no case for appeal will arise. In every respect the scheme of Lok Adalat is a boon to the litigant
public, where they can get their disputes settled fast and free of cost.
Last but not the least, faster and inexpensive remedy with legal status.
Also, in addition to the above, after speaking to the advocates and the judges, I learnt that,The (Lok
Adalat or Permanent Lok Adalat), has the same powers as are vested in a civil court under the Code of
Civil Procedure, 1908, while trying a suit in respect of the following matters, namely:-
(a) The summoning and enforcing the attendance of any witness and examining him on oath;
(b) The discovery and production of any document;
(c) The reception of evidence on affidavits;
(d) The requisitioning of any public record or document or copy of such record or document from any
court or office; and
(e) Such other matters as may be prescribed;
(2) Without prejudice to the generality of the powers contained in subscription (1), every (Lok Adalat
or Permanent Lok Adalat) has the requisite powers to specify its own procedure for the determination
of nay dispute coming before
(3)All proceedings before a (Lok Adalat or Permanent Lok Adalat) are deemed to be judicial
proceedings within the meaning of sections 193, 219 and 228 of the Indian Penal Code and every
{Lok Adalat or Permanent Lok Adalat} is deemed to be a civil court XXVI of the code of Criminal
Procedure, 1973
Cases observed
Case no-1. Chand Babu v Sudhanshu Kumar
Case No. 6829/22
It was a case of direct theft of electicity. The power supply of this man was cut down by electricity
company for non payment of two bills. In this case the petitioner was praying for easy installations.
His total two bills amounted to RS. 32,966 /- and Rs. 51,605 respectively. He requested the presiding
officer that please allow him to pay the bill in 6 instalments as he is the sole earner in his family and
doesn’t have sufficient income to sustain his life.
Verdict
The judge reduced his first bill to the amount of 21,500 and the second bill to 33,500 to be paid in 5
installments a sum of Rs. 11,000 on 30.05.2022 and after the rest installments in every 30 th of each
consecutive month. And the electricity will be resumed after the payment of first installation.
CASE-2 Name of the accused was Gurdeep Singh
Case no- 6653/22
The accused was a regular offender of electricity theft and by occupation he was laborer. He
manipulated the electricity meter. The total amount to be paid by him was Rs 1,74,630.
Verdict
The presiding officer after listening to him settled the amount to Rs 1,13,500. And asked him to pay
Rs. 22,700 in 5 instalments on 30 th of every month staring from 30.5.22. And also asked him to apply
for meter.
ANALYSIS
The members were cooperative and took into consideration the circumstances of the parties and tried
to reduce the burden of payment to most possible extent for speedy but quality dispute resolution. This
showcases how Lok Adalats are a valuable tool to reduce excess burden of judiciary and enable good
governance simultaneously
CONCLUSION
After doing intensive field work it could be concluded that most of the sample group of lawyers,
judges and litigants had opined that the preference should be given to Lok Adalat over court redressal
mechanism. Petty issues can be resolved conveniently in Lok Adalat in an informal manner which
saves time, money and energy.
There are a lot of benefits of Lok Adalat over the court process viz., time saving, cost effectiveness,
energy saving, reduction in litigations, more satisfying and acceptable solution to the parties who opt
for referring their dispute to Lok Adalat. There are also certain difficulties in implementation and
promotion of Lok Adalat, viz., lack of knowledge and awareness about Lok Adalat amongst the
lawyers and litigants. So awareness about the concept and benefits of Lok Adalat should be increased.
Lots of work needs to be done in this sphere. Training programs regarding the Alternate Dispute
Resolution Processes must be conducted for judges, lawyers, mediators, and all other stakeholders for
successful and amicable resolution of the dispute.
Finally, I was extremely satisfied by this experience and this novel way of teaching introduced in the
faculty of law. I learnt many intricacies, which would have been impossible to learn in the classroom
and from the books alone. Witnessing things practically and how they actually happen makes us
understand and grasp them better than to only learn them in the classroom. I hope we can get more and
more trained in all the Alternate Dispute Settlement Mechanisms which is the requirement of the
future.
PICTURE GALLERY
CASES ALLIGNED FOR 16.05.2022
A PICTURE OF MY GROUP MEMBERS AND ME WITH CHAIRPERSON SHRI B. R KEDIA
ONE AT THE GATE OF PERMANENT LOK ADALAT I- II, MATA SUNDRI LANE
