#Lok Adalat Award

Jharkhand High Court rules that failure to implement a Lok Adalat award under the Legal Services Authorities Act within the stipulated deadline amounts to a violation of constitutional rights. The court directed the state to comply within four weeks, with 6% interest from the award date, reinforcing that writ jurisdiction can directly enforce statutory settlements.

Uttarakhand High Court rules that writ petitions under Article 226 are not maintainable against private employers for breach of Lok Adalat awards if statutory remedies under the U.P. Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 are available. The court emphasized that private entities not discharging public functions lack state instrumentality, reinforcing the bar on extraordinary relief where alternative legal recourse exists.

The Allahabad High Court has ruled that Lok Adalat awards, even when no settlement is reached, function as civil decrees and cannot be challenged through criminal revision under Section 482 CrPC. This clarifies that only constitutional writs under Articles 226 or 227 provide the proper remedy, protecting the finality of alternative dispute resolution outcomes and limiting misuse of criminal procedure in civil matters.

The Calcutta High Court dismissed a review petition attempting to overturn a judgment based on a later Supreme Court ruling, holding that Order 47 Rule 1 CPC strictly limits review grounds to errors apparent on the face of the record. The ruling reinforces that litigants cannot use subsequent judgments to reopen concluded cases, preserving finality in civil proceedings.

The Andhra Pradesh High Court ruled that Lok Adalat awards obtained through fraud or lack of jurisdiction are invalid, reinforcing judicial oversight over settlements. It also upheld the validity of wills executed abroad if they comply with Indian formalities, while affirming that public charitable trusts exist without mandatory registration. The judgment underscores writ petitions as a remedy against tainted settlements, impacting succession disputes and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.