The Supreme Court has suggested setting up new Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) benches in Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. This move aims to reduce the backlog of defense-related cases currently overwhelming the AFT in Chandigarh.
Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh proposed creating circuit benches in Jammu & Kashmir, Shimla, and Dharamshala to speed up case resolutions. They noted that delays in filling tribunal vacancies aren’t just the Centre’s fault and asked Attorney General R Venkataramani to consider these new benches.
Justice Surya Kant mentioned that committees responsible for appointing tribunal members often face heavy workloads, causing delays. He recommended starting the hiring process six months before a vacancy arises.
The court asked the Centre to gather data on tribunal positions and vacancies and suggest ways to fill them efficiently. The Centre must update the court on recruitment efforts within four weeks.
This discussion came during a hearing about the need for faster appointments to the AFT. Senior advocate Vikas Singh highlighted a vacancy due to a member’s transfer from Chandigarh to Kolkata.
Attorney General Venkataramani said the AFT chairman in Chandigarh could decide on new benches and assured that the vacancy would be filled soon. He added that tribunal appointments happen throughout the year.
Senior advocate Arvind Datar also raised concerns about the Tribunal Reforms Act of 2021, saying it repeats rules from a previous act that the court had struck down. The bench advised him to discuss this with Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna.
