Allahabad High Court: Lok Adalats and DLSAs Cannot Grant Divorce, Power Vests Solely with Family Courts

June 1, 2026 : The Allahabad High Court has held that Lok Adalats and District Legal Services Authorities (DLSAs) do not have the jurisdiction to grant divorce decrees, reaffirming that the authority to dissolve a marriage lies exclusively with Family Courts.

The ruling was delivered by the Lucknow Bench of the High Court while hearing a petition filed by a woman challenging a 2018 order passed by the District Legal Services Authority, Unnao. The petitioner contended that her husband had treated a settlement recorded before the DLSA as a valid divorce decree and subsequently relied upon it to contract a second marriage.

A Division Bench comprising Justices Shekhar B. Saraf and A.K. Chaudhary observed that neither the Legal Services Authorities Act nor the Lok Adalat Regulations confer upon Lok Adalats the power to adjudicate matrimonial disputes involving dissolution of marriage. The Court emphasized that Lok Adalats are intended to facilitate amicable settlements between parties and cannot exercise judicial powers reserved for competent courts.

The Bench further declared legally unsustainable a clause contained in the settlement that purportedly allowed the parties to remarry. Clarifying the legal position, the Court held that no valid decree of divorce had been passed in the matter and that the settlement could not be treated as dissolving the marriage.

To prevent similar errors in the future, the High Court directed that a copy of its judgment be circulated to all Lok Adalats and District Legal Services Authorities across Uttar Pradesh for guidance and strict compliance.