On Sunday, Uday Umesh Lalit, the Chairman of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), unveiled India’s first AI-driven digital Lok Adalat during the 18th All India Legal Services Authorities’ meeting held in Rajasthan. This initiative, which has been crafted by the Rajasthan State Legal Services Authority (RSLSA) in partnership with the technology firm Jupitice Justice Technologies, aims to address outstanding disputes and those at the pre-litigation stage.
The newly launched platform facilitates comprehensive dispute resolution, allowing users to easily draft and file applications, generate e-notices with a single click, utilize smart templates for settlement agreements, and conduct digital hearings through specially designed video conferencing tools.
Further enhancing its functionality, the digital Lok Adalat incorporates an AI-enabled voice-based interactive chatbot and sophisticated data analytics tools. These features provide users with valuable insights into the operational aspects of Lok Adalat, supported by tailored reports and dashboards that enable data-informed decision-making.
Ravikant Soni, Joint Secretary at RSLSA, remarked, “The vision of expeditious justice is deeply embedded in the Indian Constitution. We believe that the Digital Lok Adalat will significantly accelerate the delivery of justice, akin to the efficiency seen in food delivery apps like Zomato and Swiggy.”
In recent months, the issue of case backlogs has garnered widespread attention, particularly during the pandemic when judicial proceedings were largely halted. Notably, a district court in Bihar recently issued a ruling in a land dispute that had been open for over 108 years, marking one of the longest-standing cases in the country.
India’s First Digital Lok Adalat- initiative by RSLSA in technology partnership with Jupitice launched by Hon’ble Mr. Uday Umesh Lalit, Chairman, NALSA.#rajasthan #rajasthancmo #chiefjustice #cji #NALSA #legalservices #legalnews #legalupdate #lokadalathttps://t.co/1fWukEAHcz
— Jupitice Justice Technologies Private Limited (@jupitice) July 17, 2022
A report from NITI Aayog highlighted that without intervention, it could take around 324 years to resolve the backlog of cases in India. The findings also indicated that between 75% and 97% of legal issues never reach court, amounting to approximately 5 to 40 million unresolved matters each month.
Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava, Executive Chairman of RSLSA, emphasized the challenges of ensuring access to justice in a nation with a population of 1.3 billion, with many individuals residing in rural areas and belonging to marginalized communities.
Raman Aggarwal, the Founder and CEO of Jupitice, expressed, “We have always believed that technology can help realize the global aspiration for access to justice — creating an inclusive system that leaves no one behind.” Recently, RSLSA and Jupitice formalized their collaboration, leading to the development of a fully digital Lok Adalat designed to enhance efficiency, accessibility, and transparency through modern technology.
