Role of Lok Adalat in Reducing the Pendency of Criminal Cases in India
List of Abbreviations used
Art. | Article | CILAS | Committee for Implementing Legal Aid Scheme | CPC | Civil Procedure Code | DSLA | Delhi State Legal Authority | LA | Lok Adalat | NALSA | National Legal Services Authority | OSLSA | Odisha State Legal Services Authority | S. | Section | UNDP | United Nations Development Project |
1. Introduction
Providing justice and creating a sense of equality was the main motive when the first charter of liberties of Henry II was signed where the classic statement was inscribed in the Magna Carta.
“To no man will we deny, to no man will we sell, or delay, justice or right.” The Preamble of the Indian Constitution clearly mentions about providing justice to its billions of people. This is a cardinal principle which is also reflected in the ancient Indian ethos of justice- Dharma.
India is a country with immense diversity and is home to billions of people. The population of rural areas subdues the population in the urban areas and so does the amount of disputes arising out of it. From the ancient times there existed Nyaya Panchayats which was headed by the eldest members of the village or the village chieftain. Customary practices were followed and there was no uniform legal system and therefore Nyaya Panchayats were considered to be the regular form for deciding differences within matters relating to property, family, criminal and other matters.
These Nyaya Panchyats had a major role in the post independence period which influenced the Governments to set up LA or “People’s Court” in every state for the speedy disposal of cases. This was a new form of experiment in the area of Alternative Disputes Redressal Mechanism. Art. 14 and 21 of the Indian Constitution and Art. 7, 8, 9 and 10 of the Universal declaration of Human Rights clearly discusses about providing legal aid to the needy. After independence it was the Indian National Congress which was the politically dominant party. Indian
Art. | Article | CILAS | Committee for Implementing Legal Aid Scheme | CPC | Civil Procedure Code | DSLA | Delhi State Legal Authority | LA | Lok Adalat | NALSA | National Legal Services Authority | OSLSA | Odisha State Legal Services Authority | S. | Section | UNDP | United Nations Development Project |
1. Introduction
Providing justice and creating a sense of equality was the main motive when the first charter of liberties of Henry II was signed where the classic statement was inscribed in the Magna Carta.
“To no man will we deny, to no man will we sell, or delay, justice or right.” The Preamble of the Indian Constitution clearly mentions about providing justice to its billions of people. This is a cardinal principle which is also reflected in the ancient Indian ethos of justice- Dharma.
India is a country with immense diversity and is home to billions of people. The population of rural areas subdues the population in the urban areas and so does the amount of disputes arising out of it. From the ancient times there existed Nyaya Panchayats which was headed by the eldest members of the village or the village chieftain. Customary practices were followed and there was no uniform legal system and therefore Nyaya Panchayats were considered to be the regular form for deciding differences within matters relating to property, family, criminal and other matters.
These Nyaya Panchyats had a major role in the post independence period which influenced the Governments to set up LA or “People’s Court” in every state for the speedy disposal of cases. This was a new form of experiment in the area of Alternative Disputes Redressal Mechanism. Art. 14 and 21 of the Indian Constitution and Art. 7, 8, 9 and 10 of the Universal declaration of Human Rights clearly discusses about providing legal aid to the needy. After independence it was the Indian National Congress which was the politically dominant party. Indian
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