Even as Pune District Labour and Industrial Court held this year’s biggest Lok Nyayalaya last week, lawyers say the frequency of Lok Nyayalayas should be cut down from quarterly to half-yearly.

The Pune Labour and Industrial Court had organised a Lok Nyayalaya on October 11. “Around 60 litigants attended and 10 to 15 matters were settled. We had informed litigants and lawyers at least 20 days in advance,” said advocate Nilesh Malunjkar, secretary, Labour Law Practitioners’ Association (LLPA) –Pune. “The response was surely the best as compared to the last five-six Nyayalayas held by the court,” said advocate Santosh Mhaske, a labour and industrial court lawyer.

It is mandatory for courts to conduct quarterly Lok Nyayalays to dispose of matters that can be settled out-of-court. The motive is to reduce pendency in courts by through mutual compromise of the complainant and opponent. Litigations that come to Lok Nyayalayas are referred by the Labour Commissionerate. Most are related to workers’ compensation and insurance settlements.

However, lawyers at the Pune Industrial and Labour Court feel the frequency should be decided on number of matters. “Considering the number of matters here, two Lok Nyayalayas in a year would be enough,” said advocate Rajesh Shaligram, a labour and industrial court lawyer and vice-president, LLPA –Pune.

“At present, there is a deliberate effort by lawyers to bring cases to Lok Nyayalayas. Therefore, lawyers mark a matter in Lok Nyayalaya even if parties are willing to settle it much before the Lok Nyayalay schedule,” Shaligram said.

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