Supreme Court Urges Centre to Weigh Tenure Extension for Retiring Tribunal Members

The Supreme Court has asked the Centre to consider extending the tenure of tribunal members who are due to retire shortly, in a move aimed at addressing mounting vacancies across several adjudicatory bodies.

The court's direction came after submissions were made regarding the shortage of members in various tribunals. Among the bodies flagged was the Debt Recovery Appellate Tribunal (DRAT), where a number of members are set to retire in the near future.

The top law officer, appearing for the government, was responding to these submissions when the matter was taken up. The court's suggestion is intended to prevent further depletion of the benches that handle debt recovery appeals and other specialised disputes.

The development underscores continuing concern over the functioning of tribunals, which form a key tier in India's dispute-resolution architecture. Vacancies and short tenures have repeatedly been cited as factors affecting the pace of cases before these bodies.

With the court asking the government to examine the option of extending tenures, the Centre is now expected to consider how to ensure that tribunals, including the DRAT, do not face a shortfall of members in the coming weeks.