Justice under one roof for the efficient functioning of tribunals: SC to centre

New Delhi, March 28: For efficient functioning and streamlining the work of tribunals, the Supreme Court wants to quasi-judicial bodies under one central umbrella. The Apex court seeks a reply from the central government within two weeks.

"While there cannot be a doubt that to streamline the task of their efficient functioning, the tribunals should be under a nodal agency, as observed in L. Chandra Kumar, we would like the government of India to let the court have the benefit of its views on affidavit by the competent authority",states the Order

In his turn, Attorney General K. K. Venugopal made submissions on the concerns regarding vacancies in tribunals, and the setting up of a nodal agency to regulate the functioning of the tribunals.

A five-judge Constitution bench, headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, yesterday said it is tentatively of the view that directions given by the apex court in its two verdicts of 1997 and 2010 for bringing all the tribunals of the country under one nodal agency should have been implemented long back.

The bench, which dealt with vacancies in tribunals, said recommendation of the search-cum-selection committee for the appointment of members in National Company Law Tribunal and National Company Law Appellate Tribunal should be immediately implemented within two weeks.

The AG pointed out that though the Cabinet Committee on Appointments had approved recommendations for all 6 vacancies in January 2018, two did not join, refusing to accept certain service conditions. Hence, their appointment was cancelled.

For the Debt Recovery Tribunals, the AG advanced that some applications are pending with the Supreme Court, which, on clarification from the Registrar, were revealed to be government proposals for the DRT and the DRAT received by the apex court very recently.