Vacant in Tribunals: SC reiterates need for creation of National Tribunal Commission

The Supreme Court on Wednesday reiterated the need for creation of National Tribunal Commission while emphasising on the need to have an independent body for making appointments to the tribunals across the country.

A bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana said that the top court in November 2020 directed the government to form the commission but nothing has happened till date.

"This court has been speaking of an independent body for making appointments. You were also in agreement with us when we spoke about the National Tribunals Commission.

"Till the national commission is constituted, we had said there should be one separate wing in the finance ministry to take care of all these appointments. We do not know whether anything has happened. Regarding National Tribunal Commission, we have not heard anything at all," the bench also comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud and L Nageswara Rao said.

Attorney General K K Venugopal, appearing for the Centre, told the bench he would seek instructions on the issue.

The observations of the apex court came while hearing a clutch of petitions on the issue of vacancies in tribunals and the new law governing quasi judicial bodies.

The top court in November last year had directed the Centre to constitute a National Tribunals Commission (NTC), which would act as an independent body to supervise appointments and functioning as well as take care of the administrative and infrastructural needs of tribunals across the country.

Stressing on the "imperative need" to ensure that tribunals discharge the judicial functions without any interference of the executive whether directly or indirectly, the apex had court said that till NTC is constituted, a separate wing in the Ministry of Finance shall be established to cater to the requirements of tribunals.