AIR 2008 SUPREME COURT 1209 ::2008 AIR SCW 1196 ::(2010) 2 ACC 279 ::(2008) 1 CLR 401 (SC) ::2008 (1) Arbi LR 257 ::2008 (1) CLR 401 ::(2008) 1 WLC(SC)CVL 663 ::(2008) 1 ArbiLR 257 ::(2008) 1 CivilCourtC 591 ::2008 (2) SCC 660 ::2008 (1) SCC(Cri) 524 ::(2008) 1 RecCivR 857 ::(2008) 2 Scale 52 ::2008 (4) ACJ 2874 ::(2009) 1 TAC 819 ::(2008) 4 AllMR 23 (SC) ::2008 (71) ALR SOC 18 (SC) ::2008 (71) All LR 18 SOC ::(2007) 3 CPR 27 ::(2006) 4 CPJ 89(2) ::(2008) 2 CgLJ 141 ::2008 (1) HRR 672 ::2008 (1) GujLH 461 ::2008 (5) MadLJ311 ::2008 (2) MadLW 321 ::2008 (2) Ker LT 236 ::2008 (1) Ker LJ 887 ::2008 (2) RajLW 975 ::2008 (2) Pun LR 261 ::2008 (1) SCT 562 ::2008 (2) AndhLT 1 ::2008 HRR 1 672 ::(2008) 64 AllIndCas 262 (SC) ::2008 (64) AllIndCas 262 ::2008 (2) MPHT 111

Supreme Court Of India

(From : Punjab and Haryana)

Hon'ble Judge(s): K. G. Balakrishnan, G. P. Mathur, R. V. Raveendran , JJJ

(A) Legal Services Authorities Act (39 of 1987) , S.20— Lok Adalat - Have no adjudicatory or judicial function - Its role is to guide and persuade parties to reach at a compromise or settlement - Act of conducting Lok Adalat as Courts, hearing parties and imposing its view on parties would drive away litigants from Lok Adalats. Lok Adalats have no adjudicatory or judicial functions. Their functions relate purely to conciliation. When the Act refers to 'determination' by the Lok Adalat and 'award' by the Lok Adalat, the said Act does not contemplate nor require an adjudicatory judicial determination, but a non-adjudicatory determination based on a compromise or settlement, arrived at by the parties, with guidance and assistance from the Lok Adalat. The 'award' of the Lok Adalat does not mean any independent verdict or opinion arrived at by any decision-making process. The making of the award is merely an administrative act of incorporating the terms of settlement or compromise agreed by parties in the presence of the Lok Adalat, in the form of an executable order under the signature and seal of the Lok Adalat. Conducting Lok Adalat like Courts, by hearing parties, and imposing their views as to what is just and equitable, on the parties, instead of fostering alternative dispute resolution through Lok Adalats, will drive the litigants away from Lok Adalats. Lo....