SUB-ORDINATE COURTS
WHAT ARE SUB-ORDINATE COURTS?
- The state judiciary consists of a high court and a hierarchy of subordinate courts, also known as lower courts
- They function below and under the high court at district and lower levels.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SUB-ORDINATE COURTS?
- The hierarchy and types of sub-ordinate courts vary from state to state
- But here we shall discuss some of the special and important sub-ordinate courts such as
- NALSA
- Lok Adalats
- Gram Nyayalayas
- Family Courts
WHAT IS NALSA?
- Constitution of India provides for free legal aid to the poor and weaker sections of the society and ensures justice for all.
- Therefore in 1987, Parliament constituted National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) and Lok Adalats to make legal services available to all the sections
- In every State, a State Legal Services Authority has been constituted
WHAT ARE THE FUNCTIONS OF THESE LEGAL SERVICE AUTHORITIES?
- To provide free and competent legal services to the eligible persons
- To organise Lok Adalats for settlement of disputes
- To organise legal awareness camps in the rural areas
WHAT ARE LOK ADALATS?
- Lok Adalat – meaning “People’s Court” is a forum for settling cases outside the court
- It deals with
- Cases pending in the court and
- Cases that are not brought before the court yet
WHY DO WE NEED LOK ADALATS?
- ‘Lok Adalat’ is an old form of judicial system prevailed in ancient India and is relevant in the modern days too
- As the Indian courts are overburdened with the backlog of cases, these courts provide alternative way for faster and inexpensive justice
WHAT ARE FAMILY COURTS?
- The Family Courts were established with a view to promote speedy settlement of disputes relating to marriage and family affairs in 1984 by Parliament
: Why Do We Need Family Courts?
- To reduce burden on courts
- To promote conciliation to achieve desirable results
- Specialization
- Provide informal atmosphere
WHAT ARE GRAM NYAYALAYAS?
- The Gram Nyayalayas were established to provide access to justice at the grass roots level and
- To ensure that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen due to social, economic or other disabilities
WHY DO WE NEED FAMILY COURTS?
- Access to justice by the poor and disadvantaged remains a worldwide problem despite diverse approaches and strategies