Concept of lok adalats in India: A study of Haryana

Justice dispensation system of a country is helpful in its prosperity and progress. People in a society live peacefully and amicably, if the justice dispensation system is strong, efficient and effective. Justice delayed is justice denied. Article 39 A was inserted in the constitution of India with the objectives to promote justice on the basis of equal opportunities and secure that justice is not denied on the basis of financial or other reasons. Justice is the foundation of a civilized society. It should be provided to the society without any delay and it should be easily accessible. If the justice is delivered without any unreasonable delay in a society, that society will progress. India is facing the problem of increase in backlog of cases. There may be many reasons of its increase. Every effort should be made to decrease the backlog of pending cases. But the question is how to resolve this problem in the present circumstances and available infrastructure. Alternative Dispute Resolution is a mechanism which is being used to reduce the backlog of cases and making justice dispensation quick and fast. Lok Adalat is a part of this mechanism. Lok-Adalat is essentially a forum in which parties in the dispute play an effective role for settling their disputes amicably. Now people want to settle their disputes outside the courts. This paper workouts the efficiency of lok adalat mechanism in reducing the backlog of cases in the state of Haryana.