1.7K consumer cases settled via Lok Adalat in last 12 months

The state and district consumer disputes redressal commissions have settled a combined total of over 1,700 cases via the Lok Adalat mechanism which was adopted in June 2022.

A year since inception, the Lok Adalat system has clocked a modest combined clearance rate of 24 per cent but envisioned for fast-track redressal, the system holds promise of wider adoption. Vijay Kumar, Registrar-cum-Administrative Officer, Karnataka State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, said the structure of the Lok Adalat was such that it aimed to offer immediate relief and compensation on agreeable terms for both parties.

The state commission headquartered in Bengaluru has settled a total of 130 of the 933 cases (13.9 per cent) taken up for settlement via the Lok Adalat. The 34 district commissions – six of which are in Bengaluru Urban and Rural districts – have collectively settled 1,578 cases since the Lok Adalat’s adoption, 26.1 per cent of the total 6,049 cases referred to the Lok Adalat.

Most of the grievances that reach the commissions pertain to banking, Provident Fund disbursal, online frauds and deficient consumer services.

Since January this year, the state commission has settled 29 cases of consumer disputes via the Lok Adalat system, awarding a total compensation of over Rs 2.47 crore to aggrieved consumers. The district commissions have cleared a combined 603 cases of the 1,893 cases referred to the system, awarding consumers a total compensation of over Rs 15.37 crore.

Lok Adalats are held on the first and third Saturdays of every month at the state commission and all district commission offices across the state. All types of cases except those that involve alleged medical negligence are referred to the Lok Adalats.

“As of now, there is no direct means to apply to the Lok Adalat as a consumer. The presiding officers assigned by each commission refer those disputes to the Lok Adalat that they deem ‘fit cases for settlement’ from the total lot of cases pending at each commission,” said Kumar.

The presiding officer and the advocates address the cases in a manner similar to that of a panchayat system where the goal is to obtain a speedy and amicable settlement among the parties without the involvement of judges or a strict court system.

Advocates often refrain from taking up medical negligence claims due to the high risks of permanent damage to the reputation of the medical practitioner involved, said Kumar.

Such cases are more likely to get settled outside of a court or the Lok Adalat system, he added.