This appeal before the Supreme Court of India arose from a land acquisition dispute in Telangana, where land totalling Acre 489.04 guntas was acquired for mining operations by Singareni Colleries Company Ltd. After the Land Acquisition Officer passed an award, the matter was referred to the Principal District Judge under Sections 30 and 31 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 for resolution of title disputes and apportionment of compensation; instead of adjudicating, the Principal District Judge referred the dispute to a Lok Adalat. The appellants challenged the 16 Lok Adalat awards passed in 2016, contending that not all disputed title holders were made parties to the settlement or were signatories to the awards, and that the Lok Adalat procedure was therefore flawed. The High Court of Telangana dismissed the writ petition and upheld the Lok Adalat awards, leading to the present appeal before the Supreme Court, which examined whether the High Court's procedure of referring the dispute to the Lok Adalat through the Legal Services Committee was legally correct and whether Order I Rule 8 of the Civil Procedure Code or its principles could apply to Lok Adalat proceedings.