Lok Sabha Question No. 2409 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-12-26
Subject: Lok Adalats
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: ASADUDDIN OWAISI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

******

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2409

TO BE ANSWERED ON WEDNESDAY, THE 26 th  DECEMBER, 2018

## Lok Adalats

## 2409.   SHRI ASADUDDIN OWAISI :

Will the Minister of LAW AND JUSTICE be pleased to state?

- (a)  whether it is a fact that disposal of cases in Lok Adalats has considerably come down year after year from 2015-16 to 2017-18 (till December);
- (b)  if so, the detailed figures thereof and the reasons therefor;
- (c)  the total cases disposed of by the said Adalats till June 30, 2018;
- (d)  whether  the  Government  has  provided  funds  to  State  Legal    Services Authorities to enhance legal aid to the marginalized  sections; and
- (e)  if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  other  steps  taken  by  Government  for speedy disposal of cases through Lok Adalats?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR LAW & JUSTICE AND CORPORATE AFFAIRS (SHRI P.P.CHAUDHARY)

- (a)&(b):  National  Legal  Services  Authority  (NALSA)  and  other  legal  services institutions  constituted  under  the  Legal  Services  Authorities  Act,  1987 conduct Lok Adalats. During the year 2015, the National Lok Adalats were organized on various subject matters, such as bank matters / section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, revenue / MNREGA / land acquisition cases, labour and family matters, Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) matters

and insurance claims / electricity / water / telephone / public utility disputes, criminal compoundable matters, traffic / petty matters, municipal matters as well as pre-litigation matters. During the year 2017, emphasis was given on pending  matters  and  hence,  the  cases  pertaining  to  MNREGA,  telephone, municipal  matters  at  pre-litigation  stage  were  not  taken  into  account  while computing  the  settlement  of  cases.    This  has  resulted  in  reduction  in  the settlement of cases from the year 2015 to 2017.

- (c) A statement showing the number of cases disposed of (both pre-litigative and pending cases) by Lok Adalats during the year 2015 -2016 to 2018-19 (till June, 2018) is at Annexure A.
- (d) & (e) Government  has  released  the  following  funds  as  grants-in-aid  to NALSA during the last 4 years:

(Rs. in Crore)

| Year                          |   Funds Released |
|-------------------------------|------------------|
| 2015-16                       |            67.97 |
| 2016-17                       |            63.67 |
| 2017-18                       |           100    |
| 2018-19 (upto November, 2018) |            80    |
| Total                         |           311.64 |

NALSA allocates funds to various State Legal Services Authorities (SLSAs) / UTs for implementation of various legal aid schemes / programmes framed under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987. A statement showing funds allocated  by  NALSA  to  SLSAs  during  the  financial  year  2017-18  is  at Annexure B .

NALSA has issued guidelines/directions to the State Legal Services Authorities, vide National Legal Services Authority (Lok Adalat)

Regulations, 2009, to organize Lok Adalats so that the pendency of cases could be reduced. Permanent Lok Adalats for Public Utility Services which work  on  daily  basis  also  exist,  and  in  the  said  Lok  Adalats  matters pertaining to public utility services are taken up at pre-litigative stage.

## ANNEXURE - A

Statement as referred to in reply to the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No.2409 for answering on 26.12.2018 raised by Shri Asaduddin Owaisi, Member of Parliament regarding Lok Adalats

| National Lok Adalat        | National Lok Adalat   | National Lok Adalat   |
|----------------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|
| Year                       | No. of cases taken    | No. of cases settled  |
| 2015                       | 3,13,53,226           | 2,25,01,714           |
| 2016                       | 1,90,37,668           | 1,04,98,453           |
| 2017                       | 1,89,94,175           | 54,05,867             |
| 2018 (till June)           | 87,99,456             | 25,29,151             |
| Total                      | 7,81,84,525           | 4,09,35,185           |
| Regular Lok Adalats        | Regular Lok Adalats   | Regular Lok Adalats   |
| 2015-16                    | 85,94,601             | 67,04,613             |
| 2016-17                    | 40,48,379             | 17,24,312             |
| 2017-18                    | 36,84,693             | 19,28,682             |
| 2018-19 (till June,. 2018) | 7,33,006              | 4,55,931              |
| Total                      | 1,70,60,679           | 1,08,13,538           |

| Statement as referred to in reply to the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2409 for answering on 26.12.2018 raised by Shri Asaduddin Owaisi, Member of Parliament regarding Lok Adalats   | Statement as referred to in reply to the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2409 for answering on 26.12.2018 raised by Shri Asaduddin Owaisi, Member of Parliament regarding Lok Adalats   | Statement as referred to in reply to the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2409 for answering on 26.12.2018 raised by Shri Asaduddin Owaisi, Member of Parliament regarding Lok Adalats   |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| S. No                                                                                                                                                                                    | Name of the State Authority                                                                                                                                                              | Amount of Funds Allocated in 2017-18 (in lakhs)                                                                                                                                          |
| 1                                                                                                                                                                                        | Andhra Pradesh                                                                                                                                                                           | 400                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| 2                                                                                                                                                                                        | Arunachal Pradesh                                                                                                                                                                        | 100                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| 3                                                                                                                                                                                        | Assam                                                                                                                                                                                    | 550                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| 4                                                                                                                                                                                        | Bihar                                                                                                                                                                                    | 0                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| 5                                                                                                                                                                                        | Chhattisgarh                                                                                                                                                                             | 400                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| 6                                                                                                                                                                                        | Goa                                                                                                                                                                                      | 0                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| 7                                                                                                                                                                                        | Gujarat                                                                                                                                                                                  | 350                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| 8                                                                                                                                                                                        | Haryana                                                                                                                                                                                  | 700                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| 9                                                                                                                                                                                        | Himachal Pradesh                                                                                                                                                                         | 100                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| 10                                                                                                                                                                                       | J & K                                                                                                                                                                                    | 200                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| 11                                                                                                                                                                                       | Jharkhand                                                                                                                                                                                | 100                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| 12                                                                                                                                                                                       | Karnataka                                                                                                                                                                                | 700                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| 13                                                                                                                                                                                       | Kerala                                                                                                                                                                                   | 800                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| 14                                                                                                                                                                                       | Madhya Pradesh                                                                                                                                                                           | 400                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| 15                                                                                                                                                                                       | Maharashtra                                                                                                                                                                              | 100                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| 16                                                                                                                                                                                       | Manipur                                                                                                                                                                                  | 300                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| 17                                                                                                                                                                                       | Meghalaya                                                                                                                                                                                | 0                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| 18                                                                                                                                                                                       | Mizoram                                                                                                                                                                                  | 200                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| 19                                                                                                                                                                                       | Nagaland                                                                                                                                                                                 | 300                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| 20                                                                                                                                                                                       | Odisha                                                                                                                                                                                   | 800                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| 21                                                                                                                                                                                       | Punjab                                                                                                                                                                                   | 800                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| 22                                                                                                                                                                                       | Rajasthan                                                                                                                                                                                | 800                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| 23                                                                                                                                                                                       | Sikkim                                                                                                                                                                                   | 0                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| 24                                                                                                                                                                                       | Tamil Nadu                                                                                                                                                                               | 700                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| 25                                                                                                                                                                                       | Telangana                                                                                                                                                                                | 200                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| 26                                                                                                                                                                                       | Tripura                                                                                                                                                                                  | 500                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| 27                                                                                                                                                                                       | Uttar Pradesh                                                                                                                                                                            | 600                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| 28                                                                                                                                                                                       | Uttarakhand                                                                                                                                                                              | 100                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| 29                                                                                                                                                                                       | West Bengal                                                                                                                                                                              | 200                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| 30                                                                                                                                                                                       | And. & Nico. Islands                                                                                                                                                                     | 0                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| 31                                                                                                                                                                                       | U.T. Chandigarh                                                                                                                                                                          | 200                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| 32                                                                                                                                                                                       | D & Nagar Haveli                                                                                                                                                                         | 0                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| 33                                                                                                                                                                                       | Daman & Diu                                                                                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| 34                                                                                                                                                                                       | Delhi                                                                                                                                                                                    | 700                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| 35                                                                                                                                                                                       | Lakshadweep                                                                                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| 36                                                                                                                                                                                       | U.T.Puducherry                                                                                                                                                                           | 200                                                                                                                                                                                      |