Context:

• A special Lok Adalat was held on Sunday in the Nazira subdivisional CJM Court of Sivasagar district. In the Lok Adalat, more than 200 long-pending civil and criminal cases were heard and revenue of Rs. 86,000 was also collected from the penalized parties.
• In the Lok Adalat, MACT cases, revenue cases, APDCL cases, excise offences and many domestic disputes were also solved. Four criminal disputes were solved also in the Lok Adalat.

Lok Adalats:

• The Lok adalats are formed to fulfill the promise given by Preamble and Indian Constitution- securing Justice – social, economic and political of every citizen of India. Article 39A of the India Constitution provides for free legal aid to the deprived and weaker sections of the society and to promote justice on the base of equal opportunity. Articles 14 and 22(1) of the Constitution also make it compulsory for the State to guarantee equality before the law.
• In 1987, the Legal Services Authorities Act was enacted by the Parliament, which came into force on 9th November 1995 to establish a nationwide uniform network for providing free and competent legal services to the weaker sections of the society.

Functions:

• Lok Adalat is one of the substitute dispute redressal mechanisms.
• National Legal Services Authority alongside other Legal Services Institutions conducts Lok Adalats.
• It is a forum where cases or disputes incomplete in the court of law are compromised cordially. Composition

Members:

• The Lok Adalat is chairman, two members, and one social worker.
• The chairman must be a sitting or retired judicial officer.
• The other two members should be a lawyer