Permanent Lok Adalat
Topic: Justice Delivery: Subordinate Courts, Tribunals, Legal Aid and Judicial Reforms · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
A Permanent Lok Adalat is a standing body under section 22B of the Legal Services Authorities Act, added by a 2002 amendment. It deals with disputes about public utility services such as transport, power, water, hospitals and insurance. It first tries to get the parties to agree. If talks fail, it can decide the dispute on merits, which means it judges who is right based on the facts. Its award is binding. There is a limit on the value of disputes it can hear.
Example
A family is wrongly charged on its electricity bill, and the power company will not correct it. The family can go to the Permanent Lok Adalat. If no settlement is reached, the Adalat itself decides the dispute.
Don't confuse with
- Lok Adalat (ordinary or National): it can only settle cases by compromise. If the parties do not agree, the case goes back to court. A Permanent Lok Adalat can decide the case itself.