Supreme Court asks NALSA to examine Lok Adalat members' pay plea

The Supreme Court asked NALSA to examine a plea for better pay for permanent Lok Adalat members. The order pushes the matter to the administrative route because of fund allocation constraints.Newdelhi,Oct 8, 2026 17:32 ISTThe Supreme Court on Thursday asked the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) to examine a plea seeking better remuneration for members of permanent Lok Adalats, with petitioners saying their workload and jurisdiction have increased.A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana said there were practical difficulties in issuing judicial directions on the issue. The court said any increase in payments would involve restrictions linked to the use of funds allocated to legal services authorities."We cannot simply direct payments without considering these restrictions. It would be better to approach the respective high courts, which can examine the issue based on the grants received from the states," CJI Kant said.The court was hearing a plea by 14 Lok Adalat members, who argued that Rule 3 of the Permanent Lok Adalat (Other Terms and Conditions of Appointment of Chairman and Other Persons) Rules, 2003 was discriminatory because it prescribed different salary structures for the chairman and other members. Senior advocate Karuna Nundy, appearing for the petitioners, said the issue had earlier been raised before the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the Delhi High Court. She said the high courts had referred the matter back to the respective state legal services authorities. "The authorities subsequently came back with slightly enhanced amounts. There was also consultation with the Chief Justice in a different capacity. That is the second barrier. The high court will not independently consider the issue," Nundy added.She said permanent Lok Adalat members were currently getting about Rs 2,500 per sitting. She also said these bodies had earlier mainly dealt with disputes involving public utility services, but now also handle matters related to banking and non-banking financial companies, housing and education. Their pecuniary jurisdiction has also gone up to Rs 1 crore, compared with Rs 50 lakh for District Consumer Forums, she said. CJI Kant, however, said this was not an issue in which the Supreme Court could readily intervene. "Even if I want to accept your submission, I cannot issue such a direction because it involves changes in the allocation of funds. That is a major challenge. Sometimes there are surplus funds under one head and insufficient funds under another. These are challenges that have to be resolved on the administrative side," he said.The bench then directed that the petition be treated as a common representation on behalf of the petitioners and other similarly placed members. It also asked the petitioners to send a copy of the plea to the member secretary of NALSA, who will place it before the NALSA governing council. The matter, for now, has been left for consideration through the legal services authorities' administrative process.- Ends