Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT)- UPSC Current Affairs

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Context: A Parliamentary committee has requested the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) to decide on 1,350 cases that have been pending for more than 10 years, particularly those involving pensions and older people.

Highlights of the Parliamentary Committee report

Pendency

As of December 31, 2022, there are up to 80,545 cases outstanding in the tribunal's various benches.
- 16,661 of these cases are pending from zero to one year.
- 46,534 cases are pending from 1 to 5 years
- 16,000 cases are pending from 5 to 10 years.
- 1, 350 cases are pending for more than 10 years.

Reason for Pendency

The Committee took note of the growing backlog of CAT cases and believed that one of the main causes of the delay is the lack of sufficient staff.
The CAT is authorized to have 70 members (35 judicial and 35 administrative). Currently, there are 53 members (28 judicial and 25 administrative), including the chairman, and 17 positions (7 judicial and 10 administrative) are vacant.
According to the report, the cases are pending in some tribunal benches owing to a lack of division benches since there aren't enough of them to go around due to member vacancies.
The panel revealed that the Allahabad, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Jammu, and Patna benches are working with 50% of the authorised strength.

Recommendation by the Committee

The panel stated that every application must be considered and resolved in accordance with the Central Administrative Tribunal (Procedure) Regulations, 1987, as soon as possible from the time it was registered.
The Committee suggests that CAT handle cases involving pensions, issues about seniors, and cases that are more than 10 years old on a priority basis and, if necessary, undertake special campaigns.
The Committee suggests that measures be made to assure that vacancies be filled as soon as possible.

Keywords

Parliamentary Committee

A Parliamentary Committee is a group of Members of Parliament (MPs) that are appointed by the House, elected by the House, or nominated by the Speaker or Chairperson and who serve at the Speaker's or Chairperson's pleasure.
Parliamentary committees often come in two types: standing committees and ad hoc committees. The former is permanent and functions continually (formed annually or regularly), whilst the latter is transient and vanishes after the task given to them.

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Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT): https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/central-administrative-tribunal-16

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. Consider the following Statement about the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT);

1. It is Part of the Original Constitution.

2. Qualification of members and other terms and conditions of service will be notified by the President.

3. The Tribunal is bound by the procedure prescribed by the Civil Procedure Code.

Which of the following Statement is/are incorrect?

(A) 1 and 2 only

(B) 2 and 3 only

(D) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: D

Explanation:

Statement 1 is incorrect: The original Constitution did not contain provisions with respect to tribunals. The 42nd Amendment Act of 1976 added a new Part XIV-A to the Constitution.

Statement 2 is incorrect: Qualification of members and other terms and conditions of service will be notified by the central government. The Chairperson and Members of the Tribunals will be appointed by the central government on the recommendation of a Search-cum-Selection Committee.

Statement 3 is incorrect: The Tribunal is guided by the principles of natural justice in deciding cases and is not bound by the procedure prescribed by the Civil Procedure Code.

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/parliament-panel-asks-central-administrative-tribunal-to-decided-cases-pending-for-over-10-years-3913481

CENTRAL ADMINISTRATIVE TRIBUNAL (CAT)