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IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM
Soumen Sen, CJ, Syam Kumar V.M., J
JEBBY M. ALIYAR – Appellant
Versus
THE NEW INDIA ASSURANCE COMPANY LTD. – Respondent
| Table of Content |
|---|
| 1. jurisdiction of permanent lok adalat under 1987 act. (Para 1) |
| 2. authority to adjudicate contractual disputes affirmed. (Para 3) |
| 3. final disposition of the appeal confirmed. (Para 4) |
Dated this the 14th day of January, 2026 JUDGMENT Soumen Sen, C.J.
This appeal has arisen from an order dated 31.07.2018 passed by the learned Single Judge in W.P(C)No.7876 of 2007 filed by the Insurance Company, challenging the authority of the Permanent Lok Adalat to decide a dispute as contemplated under Section 22C (8) of the Legal Service Authorities Act , 1987 (for short, ‘the Act’).
2. The insurer challenged the award of the Permanent Lok Adalat on the ground that it has no authority to adjudicate and decide a dispute which primarily revolved around the validity of a contract.
3. We are disinclined to agree with the reasoning of the learned Single Judge insofar as it has been held that the Permanent Lok Adalat can only decide the existing rights and liabilities of the parties and cannot enter into the arena of adjudicating disputes between the parties. On a clear reading of Section 22C (7) of the Act, it is made clear that if a conciliation proceeding fails and the parties failed
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