About Rs 2,500 for every sitting: that is what permanent Lok Adalat members from across India told the Supreme Court they are paid, as the Court heard their plea for better remuneration on Thursday.
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New Delhi: Permanent Lok Adalat members from across the country asked the Supreme Court on October 8, 2026 to improve the remuneration they receive for their work. The petitioners say they are paid about Rs 2,500 per sitting.
What was argued
Appearing for the petitioners, Senior Advocate Karuna Nundy submitted that the current remuneration does not match the nature and responsibility of the work that members of permanent Lok Adalats perform. She also told the Court that a similar question about the remuneration of consumer forum members is already pending before it.
The bodies behind the plea
Permanent Lok Adalats are statutory bodies under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, and their members conciliate and adjudicate disputes. The plea raises the question of what pay is appropriate for the people who staff them, and with a similar issue on consumer forums already pending, the pay concerns of both groups are before the Court. The demand is the petitioners’ contention and the Court has not decided it.
Court: Supreme Court of India
Date of hearing: October 8, 2026
Appearance: Senior Advocate Karuna Nundy for the petitioners