“7. A perusal of the provisions of the Legal Services Authority Act, 1987, reveal that a Lok Adalat is not a Court/Forum, conferred with jurisdiction, to receive and adjudicate untraced report/cancellation report/final reports filed under the Code of Criminal Procedure. These reports prepared, under Section 173 of the Criminal Procedure Code, have to be filed before the Illaqa Magistrate or such Court, as may be conferred with jurisdiction to entertain them. A Lok Adalat is not such a court and cannot entertain or pass orders on final reports filed under Section 173 of the Criminal Procedure Code. Thus, the respondent-State erred in filling the final/untraced report before the Lok Adalat which committed a gross error of jurisdiction in passing the order dated 26.4.2003, rejecting the cancellation report and directing further investigation. 8. Consequently, the order dated 26.4.2003 is set aside and the Investigating Officer is directed to file the untraced report, dated 10.12.1999, earlier presented before the Lok Adalat, before the Court of a Magistrate competent to entertain the untraced report, within one month from the receipt of a certified copy of this order. The Magistrate shall consider, the untraced report, in accordance with law, after providing an opportunity of hearing to the complainant.”
