VISIT TO THE MAHALOK-ADALAT AT RAIGAD DISTRICT COURT, PANVEL

Lok Adalat is a forum for alternate dispute resolution for cases pending before a court or at the pre-litigating stage. The District Legal Services Authority(DSLA) organized a Lok Adalat at the district level for raigad. Students pursuing UG course in Legal academics from SVKM’s NMIMS, SOL Navi Mumbai visited the Panvel district court for the same on the 13th July, 2019 and witnessed the proceedings of the Lok Adalat.

The students were divided into 3 groups where each group attended and witnessed proceedings of different courtrooms. Cases ranging from family matters, divorce petition, land Acquisition and fixation of compensation, Accident Claim, Cheque Bounce under Sec.138, NI Act, to that of specific performance of contracts were being discussed in the various Court rooms. The judges presiding in the courts elucidated the basic facts of the cases, application of law, possible outcome and the efficacy of Lok- Adalat as a dispute resolution mechanism. Since the decisions of the Lok Adalat are largely based on compromise between the parties, appeal is restricted and gives finality to the award of the Lok Adalat.

In addition to attending the proceedings, students also got a chance to interact with parties to a suit who shared their experiences about the procedures of Lok Adalat.
Since this is the first exposure of the students with a judicial institution, it was a great learning experience for them.