Coming, women-only courts for alternative dispute resolution

Source: The post is based on the article “Coming, women-only courts for alternative dispute resolution” published in The Hindu on 8th July 2023

What is the News?

The Central Government is launching a unique initiative of setting up women-only courts called Nari Adalats.

What are Nari Adalats?

Nari Adalats are being set up at the village level as an alternate dispute resolution forum for resolving issues like domestic violence, property rights and countering the patriarchal system.

It will also raise awareness about social schemes under the government while collecting valuable feedback to enhance the effectiveness of these initiatives.

It will be launched on a pilot basis in 50 villages each in Assam and J&K and would be extended to the rest of the country over the next six months.

Ministries involved: This initiative is being implemented by the Ministry of Women and Child Development under the Sambal sub-scheme of Mission Shakti.

– The implementation will be done in collaboration with the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, the Ministry of Rural Development and Common Service Centers operated by the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY).

The scheme takes inspiration from the Parivarik Mahila Lok Adalats [People’s Court of Women] which were run by the National Commission for Women (NCW) till 2014-15.

Composition of Nari Adalats: 

The Nari Adalat of each village would have 7-9 members/Nyaya Sakhis [legal friends]: Half of which would be the elected members of the gram panchayat and the other half are women with social standing like teachers, doctors and social workers – who would be nominated by the villagers.

The head of Nari Adalat called the Mukhya Nyaya Sakhi [chief legal friend] will be chosen among the Nyaya Sakhis, generally for a six-month term.

The Nari Adalat will not hold any legal status as its primary focus will be on reconciliation, grievance redressal and creating awareness of rights and entitlements.