Why the Government Wants Citizens to Use Digital Lok Adalats for Faster Settlements

For millions of Indians, everyday disputes, whether a cheque-bounce notice, a motor vehicle accident claim, a family settlement, or a consumer grievance, often become long, tiring journeys through the traditional justice system. Delays, travel, paperwork, repeated dates, and costs all add up, turning even simple matters into stressful experiences.

Recognising this challenge, the Government of India and State Legal Services Authorities are pushing for a faster, more citizen-friendly approach, and i.e. through Digital Lok Adalats.

And today, states like Rajasthan (RSLSA) and Maharashtra (MSLSA) are leading this transformation with Jupitice’s Digital Lok Adalat platform, proving the fact that justice can be delivered swiftly, affordably, and without the need to step into a courtroom.

The Rising Need for Fast, Accessible Justice

India’s courts handle lakhs of cases each year. A significant portion of them involve disputes that are resolvable, provided both parties have the right forum to arrive at a settlement.
Some of the most common categories include:

• Consumer disputes

These involve issues related to defective products, poor services, overcharging, or unmet commitments, and often require quick mediation rather than lengthy litigation.

•  Motor vehicle accident claims

Such claims usually need fair compensation rather than full-fledged trials, making them ideal for amicable settlement through Digital Lok Adalats.

• Cheque bounce (NI Act 138) cases

These matters are high in volume and burden courts heavily, even though most can be resolved through negotiation when proper communication channels exist.

• Family and matrimonial settlements

Many family disputes stem from emotional or financial disagreements that can be addressed more humanely through a conciliatory, non-adversarial environment.

These categories rarely require prolonged trials, but they do require a structured, trusted mechanism for amicable agreement. Lok Adalats have filled this role for decades. Now, the digital version makes them even more powerful.

Digital Lok Adalat: The Government’s Push Towards Ease of Justice

The Government is encouraging Digital Lok Adalats because they directly support national missions such as:

•  Digital India

By digitalising justice delivery, the system aligns with the broader national goal of bringing essential public services online.

• e-Governance

Digital Lok Adalats show how technology can streamline state-level operations and make justice delivery more transparent.

•  Access to Justice for All

Digital platforms help overcome geographical, financial, and physical barriers—making justice available to everyone.

•  Ease of Living

When disputes settle quickly, citizens experience direct relief in daily life, reducing stress and financial strain.

• Reducing the court backlog

By shifting millions of small disputes outside courtroom processes, Digital Lok Adalats divert high-volume, low-complexity cases away from traditional dockets, allowing judicial officers to remove backlogs.

Instead of relying on physical gatherings and manual workflows, Digital Lok Adalats bring the entire process, including filing, scrutiny, hearing, negotiation, and award, onto a unified platform.

As a result, dispute settlement becomes faster, more transparent, and dramatically easier for citizens.

RSLSA and Maharashtra: Leading India’s Digital Justice Revolution

Building on this shared vision, both RSLSA and MSLSA illustrate how state authorities are embracing technology to transform access to justice at scale.

Rajasthan State Legal Services Authority (RSLSA)

Rajasthan has emerged as a pioneer in adopting Digital Lok Adalat technology, demonstrating strong governance vision and readiness to innovate. Not only was RSLSA among the first to collaborate with Jupitice in 2022, and now RSLSA has officially adopted Jupitice Justice Technologies Pvt. Ltd.’s Digital Lok Adalat and Digital Mediation Platforms, reinforcing the platform’s reliability and long-term value.

Across multiple Digital Lok Adalats, RSLSA handled lakhs of pre-litigation cases including consumer issues, NI Act matters, family disputes, and motor vehicle claims, ensuring justice even in remote regions.

Maharashtra State Legal Services Authority (MSLSA)

Maharashtra has executed some of the largest Digital Lok Adalat drives in India, proving that population-scale justice delivery can be both smooth and efficient. By using the Jupitice platform across districts, MSLSA resolved massive volumes of challan cases and pre-litigation matters in a structured and timely manner.

The Results That Reflect Impact

Together, RSLSA and MSLSA have managed nearly 2.5 crore cases, a scale that demonstrates the power of technology-enabled justice more clearly than any narrative could.

4. What Makes Digital Lok Adalats So Citizen-Friendly?

For most people, the biggest barrier to justice is not law, it’s actually the process involved.
Digital Lok Adalats, however, are making this experience smoother. Here’s why:

• No travel required

Citizens can participate from home or workplace, without taking leave or travelling long distances to court.

• Zero court fees

Lok Adalats do not charge court fees, helping citizens avoid the financial strain normally associated with litigation.

• No complex filings

The digital platform offers simple, guided filing flows, reducing dependency on intermediaries and making the system friendly even for first-time users.

• Significant time & cost savings

By eliminating travel, paperwork, repeated dates, and missed working days, Digital Lok Adalats drastically reduce both the time and cost typically involved in resolving disputes.

• Faster resolutions

Once parties agree, the case is settled instantly,  avoiding months or years of waiting that come with traditional court processes.

• Stress-free environment

The platform encourages cooperation instead of confrontation, reducing emotional pressure for families, consumers, and individuals.

• Online sessions

This platform provides a safe, neutral, and guided space to help parties clarify issues, understand their options, reduce misunderstandings, and move towards an amicable settlement, before matters escalate.

• Legally binding outcomes

Awards issued digitally carry the same legal standing as a civil court decree, ensuring full recognition and enforceability across India.

“All in all, for most people, choosing Digital Lok Adalats means faster resolutions, financial relief, and a dignified way to settle disputes, without the pressure of a conventional courtroom setting.”

How Digital Lok Adalats Work

The Digital Lok Adalat journey is intentionally built for citizens, enterprises, and Legal Services Authorities. Here’s how the system works end-to-end:

1. Case Filing 

Both pending court cases and pre-litigation disputes can be filed directly on the Digital Lok Adalat platform.

• Citizens file individual cases online using a guided digital form.
  
• Banks, insurance companies, NBFCs, telecom, e-commerce, and other enterprises can bulk-import thousands of cases through Excel sheets.
  
• DLSA/TLSA (District Legal Services Authority/ Taluka Legal Services Authority)can automatically import court-referred cases from CIS if API access is provided.
  

“This ensures that every dispute, whether already in court or headed towards court, enters a single, streamlined digital pipeline.”

2. Notification to Parties

Once a case is accepted, the platform sends automated SMS and email notifications to both parties.

• Eliminates missed appearances
• Ensures transparency
• Removes manual coordination

“This instant communication is one of the biggest reasons authorities prefer the digital model.”

3. Online Appearance 

Parties can join the session from anywhere using a secure digital hearing room powered by Jupitice.

• Supports online counselling sessions
  
• Allows uploading documents
  
• Enables participation even for citizens who cannot travel
  
• Removes traditional barriers of distance, cost, and inconvenience

“This removes the traditional barriers of distance, cost, and inconvenience.”

4. Award Generation

Once both parties agree to settle, the platform immediately prepares all the required documents:

• A digital Settlement Deed – automatically drafted with the agreed terms
  
• A digitally signed Lok Adalat Award – generated instantly by the panel
  

“This award is legally binding across India and has the same force as a civil court decree, meaning the dispute is officially resolved on the spot with no further formalities required.”

5. Case Closed 

Upon issuance of the settlement award, the case is: closed instantly.

• The case is digitally closed in the system
  
• Final awards can be bulk-generated and bulk-printed
  
• Parties get instant copies
  

“For many citizens, this means walking away with a resolved dispute on the very same day.”

6. Data Analytics & Insights 

Behind the scenes, Jupitice’s platform provides advanced data analytics dashboards for SLSA, DLSA, TLSA and enterprises:

• Pending vs pre-litigation case ratio
• Settlement rates
• Average resolution time
• Cases not attended
• Dispute-type and court-type classification
• Performance and operational trends
• Case progress funnel & workflow insights
  

“This helps authorities plan capacity, optimise benches, improve performance, and scale justice delivery.”

Why Governments Are Actively Encouraging Citizens to Use Digital Lok Adalats

Governments see Digital Lok Adalats as a structural reform that simultaneously supports citizens and institutions.

• Reduces burden on courts

By settling high-volume disputes outside the courtroom, judicial time is freed for complex and priority matters.

• Promotes access to justice

Citizens in rural, remote, or underserved regions gain equal access without needing to travel to district headquarters.

• Ensures transparency and accountability

Every action, including filing, scheduling, communication, and award, is traceable, minimising ambiguity.

•  Delivers public convenience

Services that are digital-first are easier for citizens to access, aligning with modern expectations for governance.

• Encourages early settlement

Early resolution prevents disputes from escalating into prolonged cases, reducing emotional and financial strain.

Let’s Talk About The Technology Behind It: 

Jupitice’s Digital Lok Adalat platform has evolved significantly, from its first launch in 2022 to its most recent state-level deployments.

•  End-to-end case filing & digital scrutiny

This ensures cases move seamlessly from submission to scheduling without manual interventions.

•  Bulk uploads of lakhs of cases

Authorities can import large datasets in one go, enabling mass-scale Lok Adalats within days.

• Smart cause list generation 

Advanced automation saves hours of administrative work and significantly shortens timelines.

• Bench roster and allocation

Cases are systematically allotted to benches based on roles, locations, and availability.

• Digital Hearing Rooms

Enhanced stability and smooth audio-video capability ensure reliable online participation.

•  Bulk printing 

This feature helps authorities reach parties quickly and efficiently.

• Smart awards generation

Settlements are instantly drafted and issued—maintaining accuracy and consistency.

• Comprehensive dashboards for all stakeholders

Real-time dashboards give every authority, SLSA, DLSA, TLSA, and even institutional filers, instant visibility into filings, settlements, pendency, bench performance, and operational efficiency.

Built-in data analytics turn this information into actionable insights, helping leadership identify trends, forecast caseloads, improve bench allocation, and make faster, evidence-based decisions.

“In a nutshell, Jupitice Justice Technologies has built a robust technology that allows authorities to run state-wide Lok Adalats smoothly, consistently, and at scale.”

Numbers That Matter

Behind these figures lies a story of real impact! Here’s a glimpse of results showing how millions of people are experiencing faster, fairer, and more accessible justice.

• Estimated 2.5 crore cases handled across Rajasthan and Maharashtra

This represents one of the largest digital justice initiatives undertaken anywhere in the world.

•  Lakhs of online hearings scheduled

Online hearings bring procedural fairness without logistical constraints.

• Over 1 crore notices were generated automatically in a single Lok Adalat

Automation eliminates manual effort and accelerates communication.

•  Lakhs of awards issued digitally

Citizens receive immediate closure without administrative delays.

•  Thousands of benches were created and allocated efficiently

Large-scale bench formation ensures that states can run hundreds of hearings concurrently.

These numbers represent consumers, families, daily wage earners, motorists, small business owners, and everyone whose lives have been made easier through faster dispute resolution.

The Road Ahead: 

States like Rajasthan and Maharashtra have demonstrated what’s possible when technology and governance work hand-in-hand. With the success already achieved, more states are expected to adopt Digital Lok Adalats as part of their justice reform strategies.

With platforms like Jupitice’s Digital Lok Adalat, built on modern, scalable Meta Product Technology, India is ready to reimagine nationwide access to justice, making it faster, fairer, and more inclusive.

Take Away

Digital Lok Adalats show that justice does not always require long queues, repeated dates, and physical presence. Sometimes, it simply requires a platform where both sides can come together, talk on a single platform to resolve a matter amicably, and find a resolution with technology doing the heavy lifting.

This is why the Government encourages citizens to use Digital Lok Adalats. Since, faster settlements provide quicker relief, ensure timely justice, and offer a system that works efficiently, transparently, and fairly for everyone.

If you have a dispute that can be settled amicably, the Digital Lok Adalat is the easiest, fastest, and most accessible path to closure.

Check out this case study to learn more about Jupitice’s Digital Lok Adalat Platform in detail.