Lok Adalat Has no Adjudicatory Powers but Permanent Lok Adalat Has

The Legal Services Authorities Act,1987 (LSA Act) refers to two types of Lok Adalats: the first is a Lok Adalat constituted under Section 19 of the Act which has no adjudicatory functions or powers and which discharges purely conciliatory functions and the second is a Permanent Lok Adalat established under section 22B(1) of LSA Act to exercise jurisdiction in respect of public utility services, having both conciliatory and adjudicatory functions.

Unlawful Constructions should not be Regularized

The construction made in contravention of the Acts / Rules would be construed as illegal and unauthorized construction, which has to be necessarily demolished and it cannot be legitimized or protected solely under the ruse of the passage of time or citing inaction of the authorities or by taking recourse to the excuse that substantial money has been spent on the said construction, says the Supreme Court (SC) in Rajendra Kumar Barjatya & Another v U P Avas Evam Vikas Parishad & Ors [2024 INSC 990].

Who can sue on behalf of a Cooperative Society in Kerala?

As per the registered bye-laws of most of the Co-operative Society, the Society can sue and be sued through its Secretary, etc. Therefore, the Act and the Rules clearly envisage that the registered bye-laws should provide provisions as to who is the Officer, who can sue or be sued, in the name of the Co-operative Society concerned says Kerala High Court in J.S.Prakash v The Thiruvananthapuram Service Cooperative Bank.

Objections on Appointment cannot be Raised Post Retirement

The objections regarding an employee's appointment cannot be raised post-retirement, if no such objections were made during the employee's service period, says Jharkhand High Court, in Phul Chandra Thakur v The State of Jharkhand through the Secretary, Higher Education, Human Resources Development Department, Government of Jharkhand & Another.

Difference between the terms illegal & unlawful

The terms illegal and unlawful have slight difference in meanings, as per Oxford English dictionary. But nowadays both terms are often used interchangeably. Something that is Illegal is against the law in force such as illegal immigrants, whereas an unlawful act merely contravenes the rules that apply in a particular context such as an unlawful assembly. The term unlawful often implies an act that is done without lawful justification or authority.

Appeal can be Filed in case of no Reply under RTI

The failure of the State Public Information Officer (SPIO) of a Public Authority to provide information to the applicant within the specified period of 30 days under Section 7 (1) of the Right to Information Act (RTI) shall be deemed to be a refusal of request. The Section 7(1) of the RTI provides for disposal of the request for information within 30 days of the request by either providing it or rejecting the application.