National Lok Adalat settles 1.45 crore cases, prevents 1.22 crore new cases

In a seamless and coordinated effort, the fourth and final National Lok Adalat of the year, organised by the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), successfully settled 1.45 crore cases and prevented 1.22 crore fresh cases from entering the already burdened judicial system, reported TOI. This comes at a time when India’s courts are grappling with a pendency of 4.65 crore cases.

Held under the motto "Resolving Disputes, Restoring Harmony," the Lok Adalats, which took place on Saturday in all states except Rajasthan, saw a total of 1.45 crore cases settled, noted the TOI report.

This included 1.22 crore pre-litigation cases and 23.7 lakh pending cases from trial courts. Notably, this was the first national Lok Adalat held under the guidance of NALSA patron-in-chief, Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, and NALSA executive chairman, Justice B R Gavai.


According to TOI, Rajasthan's Lok Adalats will be held on December 21 and 22, following the completion of the election process for district bar associations.

NALSA’s member secretary, Bharat Parashar, noted that the growing success of Lok Adalats each year demonstrates increasing public trust in this affordable dispute resolution mechanism.

Shreya Arora Mehta, an officer on special duty at NALSA, revealed that the total settlement amount for these cases is approximately Rs 7,462 crore, with final figures expected to increase as many state legal services authorities are yet to submit their reports.