Uttarakhand Lok Adalat

Uttarakhand Lok Adalat (Uttarakhand People's Court) or Uttarakhand State Legal Services Authority is an statutory and autonomous body and an alternative dispute resolution^[2] mechanism used in the state of Uttarakhand. The Uttarakhand Lok Adalat Act is designed to provide constitutional protection guaranteed under Article 14 and 39-A of the Constitution of India, of “access to justice for all”. It is a legal system to resolve pending cases at Panchayat or rural places, those in a pre-litigation stage in courts are resolved amicably.^[3][4] It is recognised as statutory authority under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 and the Lok Adalats award or decision are deemed to be civil case and final and enforceable on both parties.^[4] Such an award is not appealable in any court of law in the absence of any provision. However, by approaching the court of appropriate jurisdiction, litigation can be initiated by any party in the suit if any of them are dissatisfied with the decision of the Lok Adalat (in the absence of any provision for appeal against such award).^[4][5]

"Section 22 B of The Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 provides for the establishment of Permanent Lok Adalats (PLA) for exercising jurisdiction in respect of one or more public utility services (PUS). Section 22 A of The Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 states what constitutes 'Public Utility Services' for the purpose of Permanent Lok Adalat".^[6]