The first National Lok Adalat of 2026 will be held across India on March 14 under NALSA to resolve disputes through speedy settlement. Courts, tribunals and consumer forums will take up cases including traffic challans, cheque bounce matters, bank recovery and motor accident claims.
The first National Lok Adalat of 2026 will be organised across the country on March 14 under the supervision of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA). The event will take place simultaneously at various judicial forums including High Courts, District Courts, Tribunals, Consumer Forums and Permanent Lok Adalats to help resolve pending and pre-litigation disputes quickly and amicably.
Lok Adalats are an important part of India’s alternative dispute resolution system. They aim to provide faster and affordable justice by encouraging parties to settle disputes through mutual agreement rather than lengthy court trials. The upcoming National Lok Adalat is expected to handle a large number of cases across different categories, helping reduce the burden on the courts.
While most states will conduct the Lok Adalat on March 14, a few states will organise it on different dates. In Delhi, the Lok Adalat is scheduled to take place on March 22, 2026. In Telangana, it will be held on March 28, while West Bengal will also conduct the Lok Adalat on a later date.
During the National Lok Adalat, several types of disputes will be taken up at both the pre-litigation stage and cases already pending before courts. Matters that are generally suitable for settlement through compromise will be considered. These include criminal compoundable offences, traffic challans, plea bargaining cases, revenue matters, bank recovery disputes, motor accident claim cases and cheque dishonour cases.
Apart from these, disputes related to service matters including pension issues, matrimonial matters excluding divorce cases, succession disputes, land acquisition cases and labour disputes will also be taken up. Arbitration-related matters, consumer disputes and cases involving utility bills such as electricity, water and telephone bills will also be addressed during the Lok Adalat proceedings.
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National Lok Adalats have played a significant role in resolving a large number of cases in recent years. According to data shared by NALSA, four National Lok Adalats conducted in 2025 together helped resolve more than 14.84 crore cases across the country. Similarly, in 2024, more than 10.45 crore cases were settled through the Lok Adalat mechanism.
These numbers highlight the growing importance of Lok Adalats in India’s justice delivery system. By encouraging settlement through negotiation and compromise, Lok Adalats help reduce litigation time, save legal costs and provide quicker relief to citizens.
NALSA has also indicated that the upcoming National Lok Adalat will particularly focus on addressing the large number of pending cases reflected in the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG). The initiative forms part of the broader effort to reduce the heavy backlog of cases pending before courts across India and to promote efficient dispute resolution through alternative mechanisms.
The March 14 National Lok Adalat is therefore expected to play a crucial role in easing court congestion while offering parties a quicker and more accessible platform for resolving their disputes.
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