Addressing reporters at probably his last press conference, Jethmalani said that the Lok Adalat will be a two-member panel, comprising former Supreme Court Justices Kuldip Singh and M.C. Verma. The Lok Adalat will take up the pending cases, but also those which have not yet been mired in litigation.According to the minister, there are 15,000 cases pending in DDA and other agencies under the ministry.

The Lok Adalat will work all through the year. By taking on many of these cases, it will help in cutting down on expensive litigation. The panel has been conferred statutory powers under the Arbitration Act and their awards will operate as decrees of court. The awards will be binding on all parties. Ministry officials will provide the panel with all the records and documents they need.

Jethmalani says, the panel has been empowered to decide matters ``according to justice, equity and good conscience and not necessarily as per the letter of the law.''

No fixed tenure has been given to the Lok Adalat. It will function as long as the cases pending in courts are settled. He said though the Union Cabinet had approved the proposal on May 18, its notification had been delayed due to clarifications sought by the President. These clarifications have since been submitted to the President.