Lok Adalat[2] is a Statutory Organization under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, and was created as an alternative dispute resolution mechanism in India to resolve disputes/grievances outside the conventional court system.
Under this Act, the award (decision) made by the Lok Adalats is deemed to be a civil court case and is final and binding on all parties.
However, if the parties are not satisfied with the award of the Lok Adalat they are still free to initiate litigation by approaching the court of appropriate jurisdiction.
Disputes like partition suits, damages, and matrimonial cases can be easily settled before Lok Adalat, as the scope for compromise through an approach of give and take is high.
The decision of a Lok Adalat deciding any case coming before it is deemed as final, and any award or decree issued is enforceable on competing parties.
Lok Adalat, as per the Supreme Court judgement, is formed to arrive at a compromise or solution between parties in dispute and hence does not have jurisdiction to go into the merits of the complaint.
[18] The Permanent Lok Adalat (PUS) is a civil court whose main purpose is to summon a person or document.
[12] It deals with cases relating to public utility services such as transport, postal, or telegraph, and is formed as a pre-dispute platform for making conciliatory efforts between parties.
1 crore,[19] while in cases that have no direct monetary connection, the PLA (PUS) can pass any order within the wider ambit of the Statutory and Constitutional mandate.