Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding Lok Adalat in India? 1. Lok Adalats have been given statutory status under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987. 2. If the parties are not satisfied with the award of the Lok Adalat, there is a provision for an appeal against such an award. 3. Mobile Lok Adalats are also organized in various parts of the country which travel from one location to another to resolve disputes in order to facilitate the resolution of disputes through this mechanism.
Lok Adalat creates history by settling 2.61 lakh cases in Karnataka. A record 2,61,882 cases were settled in a single day at the mega Lok Adalat held on December 19. This has resulted in a 12.17% reduction of cases pending before courts in taluks and districts, apart from the High Court . Lok Adalat : NALSA along with other Legal Services Institutions conducts Lok Adalats . 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 . Hence, Statement 1 is correct . Under the said Act, the award (decision) made by the Lok Adalats is deemed to be a decree of a civil court and is final and binding on all parties and 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, but they are free to initiate litigation by approaching the court of appropriate jurisdiction by filing a case by following the required procedure, in exercise of their right to litigate. Hence, Statement 2 is not correct . There is no court fee payable when a matter is filed in a Lok Adalat. If a matter pending in the court of law is referred to the Lok Adalat and is settled subsequently, the court fee originally paid in the court on the complaints/petition is also refunded back to the parties. The persons deciding the cases in the Lok Adalats are called the Members of the Lok Adalats, they have the role of statutory conciliators only and do not have any judicial role ; Therefore they can only persuade the parties to come to a conclusion for settling the dispute outside the court in the Lok Adalat and shall not pressurize or coerce any of the parties to compromise or settle cases or matters either directly or indirectly. The Lok Adalat shall not decide the matter so referred at its own instance, instead the same would be decided on the basis of the compromise or settlement between the parties. The members shall assist the parties in an independent and impartial manner in their attempt to reach amicable settlement of their dispute. Nature of Cases to be Referred to Lok Adalat : Any case pending before any court. Any dispute which has not been brought before any court and is likely to be filed before the court. Provided that any matter relating to an offence not compoundable under the law shall not be settled in Lok Adalat. Levels and Composition of Lok Adalats : the State Legal Services Authority the High Court Legal Services Committee the District Legal Services Authority the Taluk Legal Services Committee National Level Lok Adalats Permanent Lok Adalat Mobile Lok Adalats ( Hence, Statement 3 is correct )