The Delhi Lok Adalat resolved 1,76,379 cases in a single day, with parties agreeing to settlements worth ₹599.71 crore, according to figures released by the Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA). The national Lok Adalat was held across Delhi on Sunday to dispose of pending disputes, including traffic challans, debt-recovery matters, consumer cases, electricity disputes and motor accident claims.
Traffic-related cases accounted for the largest share of the disposal figure. Around 1.38 lakh traffic challan cases were settled, generating ₹2.77 crore in fines. The process enabled people to resolve eligible challans and other disputes at designated forums instead of allowing them to remain pending in the court system.
The Lok Adalat was organised at district courts, the Delhi High Court, Debt Recovery Tribunals, consumer commissions and permanent Lok Adalats. District courts recorded the highest number of settlements, resolving approximately 1.74 lakh cases involving an agreed settlement amount of ₹317.42 crore.
The Debt Recovery Tribunals recorded the largest settlement value despite handling a much smaller number of matters. Ninety-seven cases were resolved there for an agreed amount of ₹252.83 crore. The Delhi High Court settled 44 cases involving ₹10.87 crore, while district consumer commissions resolved 284 cases for ₹12.31 crore.
The permanent Lok Adalat dealing with electricity-related disputes settled 1,502 matters, with settlements amounting to ₹6.27 crore. Motor Accident Claims Tribunal cases also produced significant relief for litigants. At Rohini Court, the matter of Sarika Kwatra versus New Trishul Transport was settled for ₹2.90 crore.
Lok Adalats are intended to provide a consensual mechanism for resolving eligible disputes, reducing the time and expense associated with prolonged litigation. The figures from Sunday’s exercise show the different kinds of pressure placed on Delhi’s justice infrastructure: traffic violations generated a high volume of cases, while debt-recovery and accident-claim matters produced larger settlement amounts per case.
This edition also included an inclusion-focused initiative by the Delhi State Legal Services Authority. Transgender persons, acid-attack survivors and senior citizens were included as associate members of Lok Adalat benches. They sat alongside judges as “justice partners”, according to the report, expanding participation in the settlement process beyond the conventional courtroom structure.
A digital Lok Adalat facility was also made available for traffic challans. Once a challan payment was completed, the information was updated on the traffic police portal and a confirmation was sent to the person by SMS. The arrangement was designed to connect the settlement process with the authority’s digital records and provide immediate confirmation to users.
The latest exercise was described as the third national Lok Adalat held in Delhi during the year. The reported settlements cover cases handled through multiple judicial and quasi-judicial forums, with the next steps involving the implementation and recording of the agreements reached by the parties.
