LOK ADALATS

Haryana State Legal Services Authority has leveraged the important mechanism of ‘Lok Adalat’ as an effective alternative dispute resolution method for ensuring quick and final consensual disposal of cases binding on the parties, without incurring any extra cost or fees. Various kinds of Lok Adalat are organized by Haryana State Legal Services Authority.

Lok Adalats

Approved Scheduled for organizing National Lok Adalats during the year, 2023.
The Member Secretary, National Legal Services Authority, New Delhi, vide letter No.L/34/2018/NALSA dated 02.01.2024 has informed that as approved by Hon’ble Mr. Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Judge, Supreme Court of India and Executive Chairman, NALSA, the National Lok Adalats will be held on 2nd Saturday of March, May, September and December during the year, 2024 and the first National Lok Adalat shall be held on Saturday, 09.03.2024 on all subject matters. A Schedule for National Lok Adalats to be held in the year 2024 is as under:-

Dates of National Lok Adalat

1. 09.03.2024
2. 11.05.2024
3. 14.09.2024
4. 14.12.2024

Permanent Lok Adalats (Public Utility Services)

On the initiative of HALSA, the Haryana Government sanctioned administrative approval for 15 permanent Lok Adalats (PLAs) pertaining to public utility services. These 15 PLAs will have jurisdiction for all the 21 districts of Haryana except Chakri Dadri, as follows:

In such Lok Adalats, cases relating to Public utility services: namely (i) transport service for the carriage of passengers or goods by air, road or water; or (ii) postal, telegraph or telephone service; or (iii) supply of power, light or water to the public by any establishment; or (iv) system of public conservancy or sanitation; or (v) service in hospital or dispensary; or (vi) insurance service; or (vii) banking and finance; or (viii) Housing and Estates; or Housing and Real Estates; or (ix) education and educational institutions; or (x) Supply of new connection of LPG or refills or its connected matter, are settled without any expenditure and at the earliest, up to the value of Rs. 1 Crore.

Decision of Lok Adalats

Lok Adalats can take cognizance of matters of 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 either where their matters may be pending, or even at pre-litigative stage, i.e. the matters which have not yet been filed in regular courts, for such matters being taken up in the Lok Adalat Bench constituted for the purpose which shall attempt to resolve the dispute by helping the parties to arrive at an amicable solution and if 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.
It is also mentioned that Section 16 of Courts Fees Act, 1870 as inserted by Code of Civil Procedure (Amendment) Act, 1999 provides that where the court refers the parties to the suit to any one of the mode of settlement of dispute referred to in Section 89 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908(5 of 1908) the plaintiff shall be entitled to a certificate from the Court authorizing him to receive back from the Collector, the full amount of the fee paid in respect of such plaint.