NALSA reported that the second National Lok Adalat of 2026, held on 9 May 2026, settled more than 2.07 crore cases. Borrowers and vehicle owners follow these sittings because pending loan dues and traffic fines can be closed there.
The fourth National Lok Adalat of 2026 is set for 12 December. Disputes over loan repayments and unpaid challans are among the matters that such forums handle, and families with old dues are checking the dates announced by the legal services authorities.
A Lok Adalat is a settlement forum, and it works only where both the parties come forward for a compromise.
What Lok Adalats can and cannot settle
Lok Adalats were set up under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, and they sit at the state, district and taluk levels. The legal services authorities at each level arrange the sittings in their own areas.
The matters that can be taken up are civil in nature, and these include marriage and family disputes. Compoundable criminal cases are also eligible, which means offences where the law itself permits the parties to reach a compromise.
For an individual with a pending loan dispute or an unpaid challan, there will be a settlement only if both the sides agree to the terms placed before them. The forum does not impose a decision on either party, and a case in which one side refuses will not be closed there.
Non-compoundable criminal offences are outside the scope of a Lok Adalat, and such cases cannot be settled in these sittings.
The 2026 sitting calendar
The National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) coordinates the national sittings, and the legal services authorities in the states arrange them in their own areas. As per a NALSA letter dated 4 December 2025, the National Lok Adalats in 2026 are held on the second Saturday of March, May, September and December.
Borrowers and vehicle owners with pending matters are noting these dates, as the sittings are held on fixed days only.
The sitting on 12 December is the last of the four dates for the year. Non-compoundable criminal offences cannot be taken up at any of these sittings and a case will be settled only if both sides agree.
