As many as 100 pending cases and 813 pre-litigation cases were settled amicably with total settlement amount of Rs 8,33,16,469 during the Lok Adalat undertaken by the Manipur State Legal Services Authority (MASLSA) in 2021, as per the report of MASLSA.
Altogether, 2,409 (2,150 pre-litigation and 259 pending) cases were referred so far to be put up at the upcoming National Lok Adalat in the state which is sheduled on March 12.
Lok Adalat is one of the alternative dispute redressal mechanisms, it is a forum where disputes or cases pending in the court of law or at pre-litigation stage are settled or compromised amicably, said MASLSA in a release.
It explained that Lok Adalats have been given statutory status under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 where the 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.
Unlike the proceedings in civil courts, there is no court fee payable when a matter is filed in a Lok Adalat, it saves time, bring a final solution. It is one of the significant modes of Alternative Dispute Resolutions (ADR), it mentioned.
The release stated that any case pending before any court or any dispute which has not been brought before any court and is likely to be filed before the court can be referred to Lok Adalat.
However, Lok Adalats have no jurisdiction in respect of matters relating to divorce or matters relating to an offence not compoundable under any law, it added.
