Law Ministry reviews tribunals and appellate bodies on PMO request

The idea of a review was first floated at a presentation made by the Law Ministry to Prime Minister Narendra Modi soon after he took charge, following which the PMO asked the ministry to push ahead with the review.

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“At present, there are around 35 tribunals and appellate bodies. Several have little or no cases or appeals to deal with and some perform overlapping functions. We are working on a detailed review on a priority basis and will shortly give a report with several suggestions to the PMO,” Law Secretary P K Malhotra, who is spearheading the review, said.

Officials said that an early assessment by the Law Ministry shows that almost half of the existing tribunals and appellate bodies can be brought under the ‘convergence plan’.

This will help the ministry or department concerned save money and utilise manpower more efficiently.
On an average, each bench in a tribunal or appellate body needs a staff of 12 persons, and there is a view now that several of these bodies can be clubbed and brought under a common administrative umbrella, officials said.

Law Ministry officials told The Indian Express that one possible scenario is the convergence of bodies such as the Competition Appellate Tribunal with the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority Appellate Tribunal, since the latter has few appeals before it.

Ideally, officials said, the Armed Forces Tribunal could also function under the Central Administrative Tribunal, despite the fact that both have very heavy listings before them.

Also under scrutiny is the functioning of several tribunals handling inter-state river water disputes, and whether these can be brought under the National Water Tribunal.

However, a senior official said, “The final call will have to be taken by the PMO.”