The Union government on Tuesday informed the Supreme Court that the proposed legislation to comprehensively regulate the functioning of tribunals is in the final stages of drafting and is likely to be introduced during the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament.
The submission was made by Attorney General R. Venkataramani before a Bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi while the Court was hearing a matter concerning vacancies in tribunals.
It was observed by Justice Joymalya Bagchi that the bill did not feature in the Monsoon Session’s agenda; however, the Attorney General indicated that the government would still attempt to introduce it.
The proceedings relate to the Supreme Court’s continuing scrutiny of the functioning of tribunals and the persistent vacancies affecting their efficiency. The Court had previously directed the Union government to prepare a uniform framework governing tribunal across the country, emphasising that these adjudicatory bodies cannot be allowed to become ineffective due to administrative shortcomings.
The issue assumes significance in light of the Supreme Court’s November 2025 judgment, delivered by a Bench led by then CJI B.R. Gavai and Justice Vinod Chandran, which struck down provisions of the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021 relating to the appointment and tenure of tribunal members. The Court had held that the impugned provisions violated binding precedents and observed that the Centre had substantially reintroduced provisions that had earlier been invalidated, with only minor modifications.
In the same judgment, the Supreme Court directed the Union government to establish a National Tribunals Commission within four months, describing it as an essential institutional safeguard to ensure the independence, transparency and uniform administration of tribunals.
In its observation, the Court highlighted that the creation of the commission serves as an essential structural mechanism to ensure uniformity, transparency, and independence within tribunals, acknowledging that long-standing systemic deficiencies cannot be resolved through incremental reforms.
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