Supreme Court’s Samadhan Samaroh 2026 Ends With 1,712 Cases Resolved, ₹240.94 Crore Disbursed

The initiative was undertaken under the guidance of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant to strengthen alternative dispute resolution mechanisms and reduce the burden of prolonged litigation.

According to the Supreme Court press release, 3,285 cases were listed before the Special Lok Adalat between August 21 and 23, of which 1,664 cases were settled or disposed of during the three-day exercise. An additional 48 cases were resolved through mediation, taking the overall number of matters disposed of to 1,712.

A total amount of ₹2,40,94,37,087.38 was disbursed during the three-day period.

The Samadhan initiative, described as Supreme Court Action for Mediated Adjudication and Disputes Harmonization Across Nation, commenced on April 21, 2026, with a structured pre-settlement process aimed at identifying pending matters that had potential for amicable resolution.

Litigants and their advocates were engaged in advance to explore the possibility of settlement, with the Special Lok Adalat held from August 21 to 23 serving as the culmination of the sustained exercise.

On August 21, 588 cases were listed and 402 were settled or disposed of. On August 22, 1,159 cases were listed and 350 were settled or disposed of. On August 23, 1,538 cases were listed and 912 were settled or disposed of. Across the three days, 3,285 cases were listed and 1,664 were settled or disposed of.

The Supreme Court clarified that the Samadhan exercise was not confined to the three days of Special Lok Adalat sittings. Cases were also amicably disposed of between April 21 and August 20, as part of the broader pre-settlement process, without waiting for their listing during the August 21-23 sittings.

The Lok Adalat Benches were presided over by CJI Surya Kant, along with other senior and sitting judges of the Supreme Court. Senior Advocates and Advocates-on-Record also served as members of the Lok Adalat Benches, with assistance from Senior Registrars and other officials of the Supreme Court Registry.

The Benches sought to facilitate settlements by persuading parties to arrive at mutually acceptable resolutions of their own volition.

The Special Lok Adalat covered a wide range of disputes considered amenable to settlement, including matrimonial and property disputes, motor accident claims, land acquisition and compensation matters, tax disputes, and service and labour matters pending before the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court highlighted that Lok Adalats enable parties to resolve disputes through consent and dialogue while reducing the time and costs associated with prolonged litigation. The process also provides greater certainty and finality to litigants and helps reduce pendency, while conserving judicial time for matters requiring adjudication.

Recently, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant had said that the Supreme Court’s Samadhan Samaroh initiative aims to resolve pending cases through mediation in a manner that leaves both parties with a feeling that they have won.

In an interview with Akashwani’s News On AIR, the CJI had said litigants suffer considerable stress during judicial proceedings and the initiative seeks to provide them a mutually acceptable resolution.

“Applicants suffer from huge stress during judicial proceedings. The focus is to ensure that both parties leave the court with a feeling that they have both won. We have organised the Samadhan Samaroh in the Supreme Court from August 21 to 23. Through this initiative, we aim to reduce the pendency of cases in the Supreme Court through mediation and mutual agreement,” Justice Surya Kant said. He said the initiative would include resolution of cases through mediation benches, gram panchayats, conciliation and community mediation.

The categories of matters identified for consideration in the Special Lok Adalat include Banking, Civil Law, Compensation and MACT Matters, Consumer and RERA Disputes, Matters relating to Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, Family Laws, Labour and Industrial Laws, Land Acquisition Matters, Property Tax Matters, Rent Disputes and Eviction Matters, Service Laws, Transfer Petitions, Direct Taxation and Indirect Taxation.