The Supreme Court of India’s three-day Special Lok Adalat concludes today, capping off the Samadhan Samaroh 2026 initiative aimed at clearing pending cases through consent-based settlement.
More than 600 cases were listed before 16 Special Lok Adalat Benches on the opening day, August 21, with over 400 amicably settled, a resolution rate of roughly 67 percent.
Each bench comprised two sitting Supreme Court judges, working alongside senior advocates, advocates-on-record and other counsel to facilitate settlements between parties.
The cases taken up spanned a wide range of matters, including matrimonial disputes, property disagreements, motor accident claims, land acquisition and compensation issues, tax disputes and service-related matters.
Samadhan Samaroh, whose full name translates to Supreme Court Action for Mediated Adjudication and Disputes Harmonization Across Nation, began as an initiative on April 21, 2026, with the three-day Lok Adalat forming its concluding phase.
The event was held under the guidance of Chief Justice Surya Kant, reflecting the court’s broader push toward mediation as a tool for easing its litigation backlog.
Sixteen Special Lok Adalat Benches operated during the three-day event, each comprising two sitting Supreme Court judges alongside senior advocates, advocates-on-record and other counsel.
More than 600 cases were listed for settlement before the special benches on the opening day alone, with over 400 amicably resolved, a settlement rate of around 67 percent.
Case types taken up during the Lok Adalat spanned matrimonial disputes, property disagreements, motor accident claims, land acquisition and compensation issues, tax disputes, cheque disputes, and service and labour-related matters.
The Samadhan Samaroh initiative itself began on April 21, 2026, with the three-day Special Lok Adalat on August 21-23 forming its concluding phase.
The full name of the initiative is Supreme Court Action for Mediated Adjudication and Disputes Harmonization Across Nation, reflecting its focus on consent-based dispute resolution rather than adversarial litigation.
Photo by Subhashish Panigrahi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
