JUDGMENT :

Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud, J.

This judgment has been divided into sections to facilitate analysis. They are:

A. Introduction ...................................................................................................... 3

B. Submissions of Counsel .................................................................................. 6

C. Analysis ........................................................................................................... 8

C.1 Legislative Framework of Legal Services Act 1987 .................................. 8

C.2 Mandatory nature of conciliation proceedings ........................................ 22

C.3 Whether Permanent Lok Adalat has adjudicatory functions ................... 25

D. Conclusion ..................................................................................................... 29

A Introduction

1. This appeal arises from a judgment dated 6 March 2021 of a Division Bench of the High Court of Karnataka. The Single Judge by a judgment dated 3 July 2019 allowed the writ petition¹[Writ Petition No 27778 of 2019 (GM-RES)] instituted by the respondent, and set aside an award of the Permanent Lok Adalat dated 19 November 2014. The