The NCLT Bar Association has approached the Supreme Court alleging that at least 18 benches of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) are conducting only half-day sittings due to a shortage of members.
The Association has filed an intervention application in the Supreme Court’s suo motu proceedings concerning the appointment of judicial and technical members and inadequate infrastructure at the NCLT.
According to the application, the sanctioned strength of the NCLT remains at 63 members despite the substantial expansion of its jurisdiction following the enactment of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC). As of June 30, 2026, the tribunal had 26 judicial members and 25 technical members, including its President, the plea stated.
The Association submitted that vacancies caused by the retirement or completion of tenure of members often remain unfilled, resulting in several benches functioning with reduced strength.
Citing severe staff shortages that leave several Benches understaffed and delay case resolutions, the petition urged the court to mandate that replacements be appointed before sitting tribunal members vacate their posts.
The application stated that under a roster effective from August 24, at least 18 NCLT benches were holding only half-day sittings due to the retirement and shortage of members.
The Bar Association also raised concerns regarding the physical infrastructure available to the NCLT in Delhi.
According to the plea, roof leakage on the eighth floor of Block 3 at the CGO Complex rendered the courtrooms unsafe in September 2025. As a result, no courtroom was available for Benches V and VI, leading to half-day sittings. The Association also highlighted the small size of courtrooms and inadequate waiting areas and other facilities for lawyers and litigants.
The plea noted that despite earlier orders of the Delhi High Court concerning alternate premises and improvement of facilities, a permanent solution had not been found.
It further stated that renovation work at Block 3, which commenced in January 2025, was allegedly halted in April 2025 and has remained stalled despite correspondence from the NCLT to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA).
The Association also raised concerns over the lack of permanent support staff.
It submitted that although the Supreme Court had earlier contemplated 246 supporting staff posts for the NCLT and NCLAT, none of these posts had been permanently established. Court masters, bench officers and other personnel were largely working on temporary or contractual arrangements, it claimed.
The Association also complained of frequent outages of the Document Management System (DMS), stating that hearings had on several occasions been adjourned because benches and lawyers were unable to access electronic case
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