Public Legal Awareness · Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987

Lok Adalat — What It Is, What It Can Decide, and What It Cannot

Last updated: 31 July 2026 · By Advocate Manish Sharma, Faridabad · General legal information, not legal advice

In short: A Lok Adalat is a statutory settlement forum under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, run by the legal services authorities (NALSA and the State and District authorities), where pending and pre-litigation disputes are resolved by compromise. Three things make it unusual: it is free — no court fee is charged, and court fee already paid is refunded on settlement; no advocate is required — parties appear and settle directly; and its award is final — under Section 21 it is deemed a decree of a civil court, binding on the parties, with no appeal. It settles by agreement, never by force: if no compromise is reached, the case simply returns to the regular court. It cannot take up non-compoundable criminal offences, and it cannot grant a divorce.

Where Lok Adalat comes from — and who runs it

The Lok Adalat is not an informal panchayat; it is a creature of statute. Chapter VI of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 empowers the legal services authorities — NALSA at the national level, the State Legal Services Authorities, and the District Legal Services Authorities (in Faridabad, the DLSA sitting at the Sector 12 court complex) — to organise Lok Adalats. Benches are typically headed by serving or retired judicial officers with members drawn from the profession and social service. Spreading awareness of this machinery is part of NALSA’s own statutory mandate — which is precisely the spirit in which this page is written.

Which cases can a Lok Adalat take up?

Two streams reach a Lok Adalat: cases already pending in court that the court refers (or the parties request be referred), and pre-litigation disputes brought directly. The classic subject matter: compoundable traffic challans, cheque-bounce complaints under Section 138 NI Act, bank and loan recovery, money and property disputes amenable to compromise, motor-accident compensation, and the settlement of terms in matrimonial matters. The scale is real — at one National Lok Adalat sitting, the Faridabad DLSA’s seventeen benches settled 42,164 of 50,837 referred cases, of which 24,636 were traffic challans, 1,717 cheque-bounce matters, 381 matrimonial and 342 bank-recovery cases.

The excluded territory is equally defined. Under Section 19(5), a Lok Adalat has no jurisdiction over an offence that is non-compoundable under any law — which is why matters such as a drink-drive challan under Section 185 MV Act stay before the Magistrate and cannot be settled here.

The award — why finality is the whole point

Under Section 21 of the Act, every Lok Adalat award is deemed to be a decree of a civil court, is final and binding on all parties, and no appeal lies against it. Court fee paid in a referred case is refunded on settlement. This finality is the institution’s power and its caution in one: a settlement recorded on a Lok Adalat day genuinely closes the dispute — so the terms should be understood completely before they are signed, because there is no second look.

Can a Lok Adalat grant a divorce?

No — and this is a widespread misconception worth correcting plainly. In Smt. Sushma Devi v. State of U.P. (Allahabad High Court, Lucknow Bench, 30 April 2026), the High Court held that Lok Adalats and District Legal Services Authorities have no jurisdiction to grant a decree of divorce, and directed the ruling to be circulated to Lok Adalats across the state. What a Lok Adalat can lawfully record in a matrimonial matter is the settlement of terms — maintenance, custody arrangements, division of assets — while the decree of divorce itself must come from the Family Court under the mutual-consent procedure.

The Permanent Lok Adalat — a different animal

Sections 22-A to 22-E (inserted in 2002) create the Permanent Lok Adalat for public-utility services — transport, postal, power, water, sanitation, hospital services and insurance. Two features distinguish it from the ordinary Lok Adalat: parties can approach it before any case is filed, and if conciliation fails, the Permanent Lok Adalat can — except in matters relating to an offence — decide the dispute on merits. Its pecuniary jurisdiction, originally ₹10 lakh in the Act, stands raised to ₹1 crore by central notification (S.O. 803(E), 20 March 2015).

No lawyer, no fee — said plainly

Access to a Lok Adalat requires no advocate and costs nothing: the route runs directly through the District Legal Services Authority and the court concerned, and the National Lok Adalat calendar is published by NALSA and the State authorities. Where legal advice genuinely earns its place is before the settlement day — in understanding whether a proposed compromise is fair, what the Section 21 finality means for you, and whether the case belongs in a Lok Adalat at all. Those are questions of judgment, not of access; the door itself is open to everyone, free.

Frequently asked questions

Lok Adalat kya hai?

Lok Adalat, Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 ke under bana hua ek statutory samjhauta-manch hai, jise NALSA/State/District legal services authorities chalati hain. Yahan pending aur pre-litigation dono tarah ke matters aapsi razamandi se nipatte hain — koi fees nahi lagti, vakil zaroori nahi, aur award final hota hai (Section 21).

Is a lawyer required to appear in a Lok Adalat?

No. Parties appear and settle directly; no advocate is required and no court fee is charged. Legal advice is useful before the settlement day — to judge whether the proposed terms are fair and what the award’s finality means — but it is not needed to access the forum itself.

Which cases are not dealt with by a Lok Adalat?

Under Section 19(5) of the Act, a Lok Adalat has no jurisdiction over non-compoundable offences — for example, a drink-drive case under Section 185 MV Act. It also cannot grant a divorce decree; in matrimonial matters it can only record settlement terms, with the decree coming from the Family Court.

Kya Lok Adalat ke award ke khilaf appeal ho sakti hai?

Nahi — Section 21 ke under award civil court ki decree maana jaata hai, sab parties par binding hota hai, aur uske khilaf koi appeal nahi hoti. Isliye samjhauta sign karne se pehle uski har shart samajh lena zaroori hai.

What is a Permanent Lok Adalat?

A standing forum (Sections 22-A to 22-E) for public-utility disputes — transport, power, water, hospitals, insurance and the like — with jurisdiction up to ₹1 crore. Unlike an ordinary Lok Adalat, if conciliation fails it can decide the dispute on merits, except where the matter relates to an offence.

Lok Adalat me case kaise lagta hai?

Do raaste hain: adalat me pending case court ke through refer hota hai (parties bhi request kar sakti hain), aur pre-litigation matter seedhe District Legal Services Authority ke zariye lagta hai. National Lok Adalat ki dates NALSA aur State authorities publish karti hain.