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Property disputes constitute around 66% of pending cases in various lower courts in India and approximately 30% of judicial pendency in the Supreme Court.

If I have a dispute with someone about land or other immovable property, which court should I approach?

Last updated on Jun 7, 2022

The location of your property is one of the main considerations in deciding which court you should approach to file a suit about immovable property1. The court must have jurisdiction over the place where the disputed property is situated. If a property is located across jurisdictional boundaries of more than one court, the suit can be filed in any of those courts2. Please consult a lawyer before taking such steps.

Besides approaching courts, disputes can be settled with the help of Lok Adalats. This is an alternate dispute resolution mechanism recognized under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987.

Lok Adalats are a forum where disputes/cases pending in the court of law or at pre-litigation stage, like land and property disputes, are settled/ compromised amicably. The decision of the Lok Adalat is final and binding; there is no provision for appeal. However, if the party is unsatisfied with the award, they can initiate the litigation process.

  1. Under Section 16 of the Civil Procedure Code, suits for various disputes relating to immovable property must be instituted in the Court within the local limits of whose jurisdiction the property is situated[↩]
  2. Section 17 of the Civil Procedure Code[↩]

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