Women-only courts for alternative dispute resolution

  • July 9, 2023
  • Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
  • Category: DPN Topics
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Women-only courts for alternative dispute resolution

Subject : Polity

Section: Judiciary

Concept :

  • The Centre is launching a unique initiative of setting up women-only courts – Nari Adalats – at the village level as an alternate dispute resolution forum for issues like domestic violence, property rights and countering the patriarchal system.

About the Nari Adalat [women’s court]:

  • The scheme would be run by the Ministry of Women and Child Development under the Sambal sub-scheme of Mission Shakti, which is dedicated to strengthening women’s safety, security and empowerment.
  • It would 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.
  • The implementation process will be done in collaboration with the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, the Ministry of Rural Development and Common Service Centers operated by the 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.

Other Aspects 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 though does not hold any legal status, has its primary focus on reconciliation, grievance redressal and creating awareness of rights and entitlements.

Significance of Nari Adalats:

  • The Nari Adalat will not only address individual cases but also raise awareness about social schemes under the government while collecting valuable feedback to enhance the effectiveness of these initiatives.
  • It will cater to all women and girls who require assistance or have grievances within the local community.

For further notes on Lok Adalat, refer – https://optimizeias.com/lok-adalats/

Polity Women-only courts for alternative dispute resolution