INTRODUCTIONThe Central Administrative Tribunal had been established underArticle 323 -A of the Constitution for adjudication of
disputes andcomplaints with respect to recruitment and conditions of service ofpersons appointed to public services and posts
in connection with theaffairs of the Union or other authorities under the control of theGovernment.
In the statement of object and reasons on the introductionof the Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985 it was mentioned:
"It is expected that the setting up of such Administrative Tribunals to deal exclusively with service matters would go
a long way in not only reducing the burden of the various Courts and thereby giving them more time to deal with other cases expeditiously
but would also provide to the persons covered by the Administrative Tribunals speedy relief in respect of their grievances."
There are 17 Benches and 21 Circuit Benches in the CentralAdministrative Tribunal all over India. In addition to
the Ministries andDepartments of Central Government, the Government of India has notified about 214organizations under section 14 (2)
of the Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985 to bring them within thejurisdiction of the Central Administrative Tribunal, from time to time.In
addition the Central Administrative Tribunal,Principal Bench isdealing with the matters of Govt. of National Capital Territory of Delhi.
The Central Administrative Tribunal is headed by Hon'ble Chairman Sh. Justice L. Narasimha Reddy, former Chief Justice of HighCourt of Patna.
There are 66 Hon'ble Members in various Benches of the Tribunal out of which 33 are Judicial Members, including the Ho'ble Chairman and
33 are Administrative Members. Subject to other provisions of the Act, a Bench consists of one Judicial Member and one Administrative Member.
The Central Administrative Tribunal has been established as a specialist body comprising of Administrative Members and
Judicial Members who by virtue of their specialized knowledge are better equipped to dispense speedy and effective justice.
The conditions of service of Hon'ble Chairman and Members are the same as applicable to a Judge of High Court as
per the Administrative Tribunals (Amendment) Act, 2006 (1 of 2007), which came into effect on 19.02.2007.
After the establishment of the Tribunal in 1985, it received 13,350 pending cases on transfer from the High Courts and subordinate
Courts under section 29 of the Administrative Tribunal Act, 1985. Sinceits inception in 1985 to 31stJuly, 2018about 7,79,101cases wereinstituted
in the Tribunal. Out of those 7,27,818cases have already been disposed of. That is a disposal rate of 93.41%. The Administrative Tribunal
is distinguishable from the ordinary courts with regard to its jurisdiction and procedure. It exercises jurisdiction only in relation
to the service matters of the parties covered by the Act. It is also free from the shackles of many of the technicalities of the ordinary Courts.
The procedural simplicity of the Act can be appreciated from the fact that an aggrieved government employee canalso appear personally before
the Tribunal. An Original Application can be filed by remitting a nominal fee of Rs. 50/-before the Tribunal. A provision has also been made
in the Rules that where the Tribunal is satisfied that an applicant is unable to pay the prescribed fee on ground of indigence, it may exempt
such an applicant from the payment of fee. Thus, the Tribunal has duly justified its creation through speedy and inexpensive disposal of
pending cases.TheTribunal is guided by the principles of natural justice in deciding cases and is not bound by the procedure, prescribed by
the Civil Procedure Code. The Central Administrative Tribunal is empowered to frame its own rules of procedure and practice. Under
the said provision of the Act, the Central Administrative Tribunal (Procedure) Rules, 1987 and Central Administrative
Tribunal Rules of Practice, 1993 have been notified to ensure smooth functioning if the Tribunal.Under Section 17 of the Administrative
Tribunal Act, 1985, the Tribunal has been conferred with the power to exercise the same
jurisdiction and authority in respect of contempt of itself as a High Court.
Initially the decision of the Tribunal could be challenged before Hon'ble Supreme Court by filing Special Leave Petition. However, after the
Supreme Court's decision in L.Chandra Kumar's case, the orders of Central Administrative Tribunal are now being challenged by way of
Writ Petition under Article 226/227 of the Constitution before respective High Court in whose territorial jurisdiction the Bench of theTribunal
is situated.The employees of the Central Administrative Tribunal are required to discharge their duties under the general
superintendence of the Chairman. Salaries and Allowances and Conditions of Service of the officers and other employees of the
Tribunal are specified by the Central Government. Pursuant to these provisions, the Central Government has
notified the Central Administrative Tribunal Staff (Condition of Service) Rules, 1985. There are 1303 posts classified in 36
categories for assisting the Tribunal in discharging its functions. The Central Administrative Tribunal is a dynamic organization with
increasing jurisdiction, responsibilities and work load.Now the Central Administrative Tribunal has initiated an ambitious Plan Scheme
for modernization and computerization of its activities through a new dynamic website, Case Information System, Video
Conferencing etc. This project, on completion, will facilitate the litigants, lawyers, researchers and public in general to
access the orders and judgments of the Tribunal on real
time basis besides efficient maintenance & management of records and speedy disposal of cases