Lok Sabha Question No. 4710 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-28
Subject: Lok Adalats
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: Shri Ashok Kumar Rawat

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. †4710

TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY - 28/03/2025

## LOK ADALATS

## † 4710. SHRI ASHOK KUMAR RAWAT:

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

- (a) whether the Government has fixed any target to dispose of pending cases by organizing the Lok Adalats;
- (b) if so, whether the date for organising the Lok Adalats for the current year and the next three years has been announced; and
- (c) if so, the details of the time-gap during which the target set to organize such Adalats at present and the number of cases disposed of till date?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE; AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS

## (SHRI ARJUN RAM MEGHWAL)

- (a): Lok Adalats are organized by Legal Services Institutions at such intervals as it deems fit, in order to reduce the pendency of cases in courts and also to settle the disputes at prelitigation stage. Lok Adalats are not a permanent establishment and handle pending court cases as referred to it by the respective courts. Since Lok Adalats are not permanent in nature, all unsettled cases, are reverted to the respective courts and hence nothing remains pending with Lok Adalats. It is mentioned that no specific disposal target is fixed prior to organization of any type of Lok Adalat.
- (b) and (c): The State Legal Services Authorities have been issued guidelines/ directions by National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) vide National Legal Services Authority (Lok Adalat) Regulations, 2009 to organise more Lok Adalats so that pendency of cases could be reduced. Every year, NALSA issues calendar for organising National Lok Adalats.

During the year 2025, National Lok Adalat was held on 8 th March. National Lok Adalats are further scheduled to be held on 10 th May, 13 th September and 13 th December. The State Lok Adalats are organised by State Legal Services Authorities as per the local conditions and needs. Lok Adalats reduce case load of courts by resolving substantive number of cases from time to time. The details of the number of cases settled by the Lok Adalats during the last two years and current year (upto December) are as follows:

## (i) National Lok Adalat

|   Year | Pre-litigative cases settled   | Pending cases settled   | Total cases settled   |
|--------|--------------------------------|-------------------------|-----------------------|
|   2022 | 3,10,15,215                    | 1,09,10,795             | 4,19,26,010           |
|   2023 | 7,10,32,980                    | 1,43,09,237             | 8,53,42,217           |
|   2024 | 8,70,19,059                    | 1,75,07,060             | 10,45,26,119          |

## (ii) State Lok Adalat

| Year    | Pre-litigative cases settled   | Pending cases settled   | Total cases settled   |
|---------|--------------------------------|-------------------------|-----------------------|
| 2022-23 | 94,939                         | 7,56,370                | 8,51,309              |
| 2023-24 | 2,19,230                       | 9,87,873                | 12,07,103             |
| 2024-25 | 7,68,560                       | 4,39,667                | 12,08,227             |

## (iii) Permanent Lok Adalat (Public Utility Services)

| Year    | Total cases settled   |
|---------|-----------------------|
| 2022-23 | 1,71,138              |
| 2023-24 | 2,32,763              |
| 2024-25 | 1,61,277              |

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