Lok Adalats have been given statutory status under the:

Lok Adalats, or "people's courts", were given statutory status by the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, which came into force in November 1995.

What a Lok Adalat is:

• It is a forum where disputes pending in courts, or at the pre-litigation stage, are settled amicably through compromise.
• It is an alternative dispute resolution mechanism.
• The first Lok Adalat camp was held in Gujarat in 1982.

Features of Lok Adalats:

• There is no court fee; if a fee was paid in a pending case, it is refunded when the dispute is settled.
• The procedure is flexible, and strict rules of evidence and procedure do not apply.
• The parties can talk directly with the presiding members.
• The award of a Lok Adalat is deemed to be a decree of a civil court and is final and binding.
• No appeal lies against the award, but parties who are not satisfied can file a case in a regular court if no settlement is reached.

Composition:

A Lok Adalat usually consists of a serving or retired judicial officer and other members, such as a lawyer and a social worker.

Kinds of cases:

• Compoundable criminal offences, motor accident claims, family disputes, land acquisition cases, bank recovery cases, labour disputes and electricity bills.
• Non-compoundable offences cannot be settled.

Permanent Lok Adalats:

• The Act was amended in 2002 to provide for Permanent Lok Adalats for public utility services such as transport, post, telegraph, electricity and water.
• They can decide a dispute on merits if a settlement fails.

National Lok Adalats:

The National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) organises National Lok Adalats on a single day across the country, settling lakhs of cases.

Legal aid:

The same Act set up NALSA at the national level, State Legal Services Authorities and District Legal Services Authorities to provide free legal aid.

Constitutional basis:

Article 39A asks the State to ensure equal justice and free legal aid.

Why not the other options?

• ✗The Code of Civil Procedure, the Arbitration Act and the Gram Nyayalayas Act deal with other mechanisms.