With 4.53 crore pending cases in Indian courts (India Justice Report 2025), quasi-judicial tribunals established under Articles 323A and 323B are indispensable for swift grievance redressal.

Traditional Courts versus Administrative Tribunals comparison

Need for Tribunals vs. Court System

1. Decongesting Judiciary: Tribunals reduce conventional court backlogs, with the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) recently achieving an impressive 112% case disposal rate.
2. Technical Expertise: Integrating subject-matter experts alongside judges allows bodies like the National Green Tribunal to adjudicate complex scientific disputes effectively.
3. Procedural Flexibility: Guided by principles of natural justice rather than the rigid Civil Procedure Code, tribunals ensure rapid resolution.
4. Cost-Effective Access: Minimal fees and informal proceedings allow citizens, like pensioners fighting service anomalies, to seek justice without expensive lawyers.
5. Digital Agility: Modern implementations like the Advance Case Information System (ACIS) seamlessly streamline e-filing and hybrid hearings across administrative benches.

Impact of Tribunal Reforms Act, 2021

1. Structural Consolidation: Abolishing overlapping bodies like the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal reduced administrative redundancy and the exchequer's financial burden.
2. Reverse Pendency: Routing abolished tribunal appeals directly to High Courts paradoxically worsened backlogs, given the existing 33% High Court judge vacancy rate.
3. Executive Cherry-picking Curbed: The Supreme Court struck down provisions requiring two-name appointment panels, mandating single-name recommendations to preserve judicial independence.
4. Tenure Corrections: The apex court invalidated arbitrary 4-year tenures and minimum age limits, reinstating 5-year terms to guarantee institutional stability and include younger talent.
5. Vacancy Crisis: The 160th Parliamentary Standing Committee noted that ongoing executive-judiciary friction over rules has stalled appointments, causing litigants to retire before case resolution.

To ensure true functional autonomy, India must institutionalize an independent National Tribunals Commission to handle appointments and funding, cementing tribunals as robust pillars of accessible justice.