TRIBUNALS OPS HIT HARD DUE TO VACANCIES: HC

CHANDIGARH: : The Punjab and Haryana high court has taken serious note of vacancies at Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) here, saying that the situation is “seriously handicapping” the proceedings of the tribunal in redressal of complaints.

The court said that it had also been brought to the notice that the last administrative member, who was stationed at Chandigarh demitted her office in June, 2020 and thus the situation is prevailing for the last almost two years.

“Prima facie in the opinion of this court, this methodology is seriously handicapping the proceedings of the Central Administrative Tribunal and the litigants, who have approached the Tribunal for redressal of their grievances,” the bench of justice GS Sandhawalia said.

The court had reacted to lawyers pointing out that even at present only one judicial member is stationed at Chandigarh, whereas the administrative member joins the proceedings from Bangalore through video conferencing.

The court issued notice to additional solicitor general, Satya Pal Jain, to assist the court as to what steps the Centre proposes to resolve the crisis. An affidavit detailing on measures has been sought by May 6.

The plea was from one Boota Singh filed in March 2020. Since then, it could not be taken up due to prevailing Covid-19 conditions. In his plea, he stated that he had approached CAT in April 2018 against a central government department decision of reduction in his pension and stoppage of retiral benefits owing to an enquiry, when he was posted in Amritsar.

He had told the court that his matter was listed on three dates in April 2019, November 2019 and March 2020, but was adjourned due to the quorum not being complete.