New Delhi, Aug 6: Terming non-filling of vacancies at various tribunals a “very sorry state of affairs”, the Supreme Court Friday asked the Centre to apprise it within ten days about the steps taken and said it suspects “some lobbies have been working” in this regard. “We must know a clear stand on continuation of tribunals or closing of tribunals. It appears that bureaucracy does not want these tribunals,” said a bench comprising Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justice Surya Kant.
The top court was ready with all the details of pending vacancies, provided by the apex court’s registry in 15 quasi-judicial bodies such as Debt Recovery Tribunals (DRTs), DRAT, Securities Appellate Tribunal, TDSAT, NCLT and NCLAT.
There are 19 vacant positions of presiding officers or the chairman in these tribunals and besides them, 110 and 111 posts of judicial and technical members respectively are vacant, the bench said, adding that this cannot be allowed to continue.
The bench said it may summon the “top officials” to give reasons for not appointing peoples in these quasi-judicial bodies.
“We expect in a week’s time you will take a call and apprise us. Otherwise we are very serious, we are going to force the top officers to appear and give reasons. Please do not invite such a situation,” the bench observed.
The top court, in a hearing conducted through video conferencing, also issued a notice on a PIL filed by lawyer and activist Amit Sahni seeking constitution of National and Regional GST Tribunal.
It was irked over the fact that the appellate tribunal as provided under the law on GST has not been set up even after the law came into force almost four years ago. “ “The CGST act came into force about four years back, you have been unable to create any appellate tribunal at all,” the bench said.
“Our Registry has provided the information that as many as 15 tribunals have been created. There are no chairpersons,” CJI Ramana observed, adding that in the National Company Law Tribunal, there are vacancies of judicial and technical members. (PTI)
