Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026 (Polity)
Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026 (Polity)
Why In News:
The Lok Sabha passed the Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026 on 10 August 2026 paving the way for a new National Tribunals Commission to standardise tribunal appointments across the country.
Source: The Indian Express, Page 6, 11 August 2026 - 'Amid din, LS passes Bill to set up panel to select chiefs and members of tribunals'; The Hindu, Page 11, 11 August 2026 - 'Tribunals Reforms Bill passed amid din in LS'
About the Bill
What the Bill does: The Bill establishes a National Tribunals Commission (NTC) to oversee the appointment, functioning and performance of members in tribunals.
Composition of NTC: The Commission will be headquartered in New Delhi and comprise a Chairperson, two judicial members and two technical members.
Eligibility for Chair: A retired Supreme Court judge or a retired Chief Justice of a High Court is eligible to head the Commission.
Member qualifications: Judicial members must be former Chief Justices or judges of High Courts; technical members need at least 25 years of experience in fields such as public administration, finance, law, accountancy, banking or management.
Appointment process: The Central Government appoints the Chairperson and members but must consult the Chief Justice of India before appointing the Chairperson and judicial members.
Tenure: The Chairperson and members hold office for 5 years or until they attain the age of 70 whichever is earlier.
Law being replaced: The Bill repeals the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021, whose provisions on tenure and appointment were struck down by the Supreme Court for violating separation of powers and judicial independence.
Key Facts for Prelims
Constitutional basis: Tribunals were introduced through Articles 323A (Administrative Tribunals) and 323B (other matters), inserted by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976.
Examples of tribunals: Prominent tribunals include the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal, National Green Tribunal, Central Administrative Tribunal and Armed Forces Tribunal.
Judicial review precedent: In L. Chandra Kumar v. Union of India (1997), the Supreme Court held that tribunal decisions remain subject to judicial review by High Courts under Articles 226/227 and by the Supreme Court under Article 32.