New Delhi: The Central Government is preparing to introduce a new Tribunal Reforms Bill during the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament. This significant development comes following intense pressure from the Supreme Court regarding mounting vacancies and operational inefficiencies across various tribunals in the country.
Attorney General R Venkataramani apprised a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant that the draft of the new bill is in its final stages. The government aims to present the legislation soon to address the pressing concerns raised by the apex court.
The move follows previous directives where the Supreme Court mandated the Centre to formulate a uniform proposal for the functioning of tribunals nationwide. The court firmly emphasized that these crucial adjudicatory bodies cannot be allowed to become non functional due to administrative apathy or vacant positions.
Interestingly, Justice Joymalya Bagchi noted during the hearing that the proposed bill was not currently listed on the official agenda for the Monsoon Session. Responding to this observation, the Attorney General assured the court by stating that they would try to get it included. The bench hearing the matter comprised CJI Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice Vipul M Pancholi.
The backdrop to this legislative scramble traces back to November 2025. A bench featuring the then CJI BR Gavai and Justice Vinod Chandran had struck down specific rules related to the appointment and tenure of tribunal members under the Tribunal Reforms Act of 2021. The court observed that the government had essentially reintroduced provisions with minor tweaks that the judiciary had previously annulled for violating earlier judgments.
At that time, the Supreme Court had issued a stern directive to the Central Government to establish a National Tribunal Commission within four months. The court stressed that creating such a commission is an essential structural safeguard. It is designed to ensure independence, transparency, and uniformity in the appointment, administration, and overall functioning of tribunals across India.
The repeated judicial emphasis on an independent body highlights the Supreme Court’s stance that piecemeal reforms cannot fix systemic flaws that have persisted for decades. The upcoming bill is expected to significantly alter how tribunals operate, potentially bringing long awaited structural changes to India’s quasi judicial system.