Srinagar, Aug 30: The Jammu and Kashmir Legal Services Authority (J&K LSA) disposed of a large number of cases through National and Special Lok Adalats during 2025, providing speedy and accessible justice to litigants across the Union Territory.
The details released by the Authority show that four National Lok Adalats held in March, May, September and December 2025 disposed of 655,754 cases, including both pre-litigation and post-litigation matters. The settlements involved a cumulative compensation/settlement amount of more than Rs 2,463,757,754
The National Lok Adalat held in March disposed of 188,422 cases, comprising 18,886 pre-litigation and 169,536 post-litigation cases, with settlements amounting to Rs 59.04 crore. In May, 136,020 cases were disposed of, including 17,382 pre-litigation and 118,638 post-litigation matters, involving Rs 60.28 crore.
The September Lok Adalat recorded the highest disposal, with approximately 239,562 cases settled. Of these, 235,072 were pre-litigation cases and 4,490 were post-litigation cases, with a settlement amount of about Rs 50.39 crore. In December, 91,750 cases were disposed of, including 18,538 pre-litigation and 73,212 post-litigation cases, involving Rs 76.66 crore.
The Authority also organised Special Lok Adalats during January, February, April, June, October and November 2025. These sessions collectively disposed of 34,006 cases.
The February Special Lok Adalat recorded the highest disposal, settling 30,713 cases, including 4,714 pre-litigation and 25,999 post-litigation matters, with settlements amounting to Rs 10.94 crore. January saw 1,200 cases disposed of, while 1,082 cases were settled in November.
Other Special Lok Adalats disposed of 52 cases in April, 121 in June and 838 in October. The total settlement/compensation amount across these Special Lok Adalats ran into several crores of rupees.
The J&K Legal Services Authority has also strengthened its efforts towards victim compensation, legal assistance and rehabilitation. According to the data, 16 victim-compensation cases were dealt with in 2025, with Rs 42.37 lakh disbursed. This followed 76 cases involving Rs 1.46 crore in 2023 and 81 cases involving Rs 1.81 crore in 2024.
The Authority’s legal-services initiatives during 2025 included 126 victims being identified or approached and 126 victims being assisted. Assistance covered legal aid, counselling and support in matters requiring intervention.
Under rehabilitation initiatives, 73 victims received counselling, two were provided vocational training, 51 were provided safe-space/rescue-centre support, and assistance was extended to six victims who had dropped out of school.
The J&K Legal Services Authority also intensified its awareness programmes, particularly to reach people in far-flung areas of the Union Territory. During the year, 130 awareness camps were organised, while 80 programmes were conducted in schools, educational institutions and religious institutions.
In addition, 04 awareness programmes were conducted through radio, television and other digital platforms, while 28 special drives were undertaken.
The initiatives are aimed at improving access to justice, spreading legal awareness and ensuring that vulnerable sections of society are able to avail themselves of free legal services and other assistance. The Authority has continued to use Lok Adalats as an effective mechanism for the speedy and amicable settlement of disputes while simultaneously expanding legal-aid, victim-support and awareness activities across Jammu and Kashmir.
