The Judiciary is the third branch of the government. Its work is to apply the law of the country, settle disputes, and punish the guilty. It is also responsible for upholding the rights of citizens and seeing that no one including the government violates them. In this blog let us learn about Lok Adalat.

The Supreme Court of India is the highest judicial authority in our country. The High Courts of different states and the Lower Courts which are below the High courts are all subordinate to the Supreme Court. Court cases are broadly divided into two categories. One is the civil court, which concerns matters like money, property, inheritance, marriage disputes, etc. The other is the Criminal court in which cases of theft, cheating, robbery, physical injury, and murder are included.

Panchayat Courts

Panchayats Court also deals with two categories of cases-civil and criminal. These courts work under various regional names such as Nyaya Panchayats, Panchayat Adalats, Gram Kutchery, and the like.

Nyaya Panchayats exist in rural areas. Three or four villages are clubbed together under a Nyaya Panchayat. It can try petty civil and criminal cases and can impose fines of up to a hundred rupees. Appeals against its decisions are taken to higher courts.

Lok Adalats

The process of seeking justice is time-consuming and expensive in our country. For this reason, Lok Adalats have been set up. They are presided over by retired judges. The disputing parties put forward their own cases without advocates. The procedure is thus simplified. The first Lok Adalat was held at Delhi in 1985 and nearly one hundred fifty cases were settled in one single day.

When a crime, such as a theft or a murder takes place, the police arrest the suspects. However, they cannot punish him or her. First, it has to be proved in a court of law that the suspect is actually the person who committed the crime. The court also awards the punishment that it feels is suitable. Similarly, when two persons have a dispute over any matter like land or property, payments in business, etc, it is the court that decides who is the right. It makes its judgments according to the laws of our country.

Read More: Subordinate Courts: Types Of Lower Courts- The Judiciary, Class 8 Notes