ABSTRACT
This chapter sets out reasons for engaging with Non-State Justice Systems (NSJS) in the Indian context and the role they play in promoting access to justice. The implications of engaging with NSJS are profound and several. NSJS are a popular forum of choice in several countries and it is important to understand why it is seen to promote access to justice. The chapter examines how human rights are met in Lok Adalats, Gram Nyayalayas, Nari Adalats and Khap Panchayats by matching the experiences with the criteria identified. The Gram Nyayalayas were established under the Gram Nyayalayas Act 2008, with the purpose of providing access to justice to citizens ‘at their doorsteps’, ensuring that opportunities to secure justice were not denied on the basis of ‘social, economic, or other disabilities’. Khap Panchayats are traditional dispute resolution systems that are engaged primarily in adjudicating upon marital disputes on concepts of brotherhood, within and outside a clan.
