Supreme Court asks Centre to consider extending tenure of retiring members of tribunals
The Supreme Court of India has directed the Centre to consider extending the tenures of retiring tribunal members on an ad hoc basis to prevent vacancies from rendering these bodies defunct. The government maintains that the appointment process under the new Tribunal Reforms Act is already underway.
Why it matters
The functioning of quasi-judicial tribunals is critical for the efficiency of the Indian legal system, and persistent vacancies threaten the timely resolution of disputes.
Observing that tribunals should not become defunct owing to vacancies, the Supreme Court on Tuesday (September 15, 2026) asked the Centre to consider extending the tenure of retiring presiding officers and members of such quasi-judicial bodies for a month or so till fresh appointments are made.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana was urged by the Centre through Attorney General R. Venkataramani that the process for fresh appointments has been set in motion and no such pleas for ad hoc extensions should be considered.
The top law officer was responding to the submissions of a lawyer pertaining to vacancies in various tribunals, including the DRAT (Debt Recovery Appellate Tribunal where some members are retiring soon.
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