Kurian Joseph, J.

Whether the Permanent Lok Adalat constituted under Section 22B of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 (hereinafter referred to as `the Act') has jurisdiction to entertain a claim for compensation under the provisions of the Kerala Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 is the question to be considered in these cases. The learned Single Judge has held that the Permanent Lok Adalat under Section 22B of the Act has no such jurisdiction and hence the appeal. (The decision of the learned Single Judge is reported in New India Assurance Company Ltd. v. Jameela (2009(1) KLT 153). Since the same issue was pending before the learned Single Judge in other writ petitions, those cases also have been tagged along with the appeal.

2. Permanent Lok Adalat is a new concept introduced under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, by Act 37 of 2002. The Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 was enacted to constitute Legal Services Authorities for providing free and competent legal service to the weaker sections of the society to ensure that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen by reason of economic or other disabilities, and to organize Lok Adalats to