Supreme Court's Three-Day Special Lok Adalat Resolves 1,712 Cases Under Samadhan Samaroh 2026

The Special Lok Adalat was held from August 21 to 23 as the culmination of the SAMADHAN initiative, which began on April 21, 2026 with a structured pre-settlement process to identify pending cases that could be resolved amicably. Litigants and their counsel were engaged in advance to explore the possibility of settlement.

A total of 3,285 cases were listed during the three-day Special Lok Adalat. Of these, 1,664 cases were settled or disposed of through the Lok Adalat process. Another 48 cases were resolved through mediation, taking the total number of cases disposed of to 1,712.

On August 21, 588 cases were listed and 402 were settled or disposed of. On August 22, 1,159 cases were listed and 350 were settled or disposed of. On August 23, 1,538 cases were listed and 912 were settled or disposed of.

A total amount of Rs. 2,40,94,37,087.38 (240.9 Crores) was disbursed during the three-day period.

The statement said that cases were also disposed of amicably between April 21 and August 20 without waiting for their listing during the Special Lok Adalat from August 21 to 23.

The initiative, named Supreme Court Action for Mediated Adjudication and Disputes Harmonization Across Nation (SAMADHAN), was undertaken under the guidance of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant to promote mediated, consensual and amicable resolution of disputes.

“The outcome reflects the emphasis placed by Hon'b1e the Chief Justice of India on strengthening consensual dispute resolution as an effective component of the justice delivery system. Rather than confining the exercise to the three days of Lok Adalat sittings, SAMADHAN SAMAHOH had created a broader institutional process in which cases were identified, parties were engaged and possibilities of settlement were explored in advance”, the statement read.

The Lok Adalat benches were presided over by the Chief Justice of India and other senior judges. Judges, Senior Advocates and Advocates-on-Record were members of the Lok Adalat benches and were assisted by Senior Registrars and other officials of the Supreme Court Registry. They sought to persuade parties to arrive at settlements of their own volition.

The Special Lok Adalat dealt with matters amenable to settlement, including matrimonial and property disputes, motor accident claims, land acquisition and compensation matters, tax matters, and service and labour disputes pending before the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court's statement emphasised that the SAMADHAN exercise was not confined to the three days of Lok Adalat sittings. It involved identifying cases in advance, engaging parties and exploring settlement possibilities before the matters were listed.

It said that the process enabled parties to resolve disputes through consent and dialogue, reduce the time and cost associated with prolonged litigation, provide greater certainty and finality to litigants, and help reduce pendency. It also enabled judicial time to be conserved for matters requiring adjudication, the statement said.

The SAMADHAN SAMAROH 2026 concluded on August 23.