Centre mulls more industrial tribunals for speedy justice

Government plans to open new industrial tribunals, mainly in newly formed states such as Telangana and Chhattisgarh, for speedy delivery of justice to workers, Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya said today.
Also, the government is taking steps to fill vacancies at existing 22 Central Government Industrial Tribunal-cum-Labour Courts, the Labour Minister said.
"We are planning to open six new CGIT Courts in all the newly formed states, and will also take steps to fill the existing vacancies in CGIT-cum-LCs," Dattatreya said after a conference of presiding officers of CGIT-cum-LCs here.
"At present there are two CGIT-cum-LCs at Chandigarh which cater to Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. We have planned two tribunals in Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh."

Similarly, the Centre will two tribunals in Chhattisgarh and Bihar, he said. At present there is one tribunal at Ranchi and another at Dhanbad. "We have also plans to open two tribunals in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh," he added.
The CGIT-cum-LCs are set up under the provisions of Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, for adjudication of industrial disputes arising in central sphere.

There are 22 CGIT-cum-LCs in various states. The CGIT-cum-LC No 1, Mumbai, and CGIT-cum-LC, Kolkata, also function as National Tribunals.
The CGIT-cum-LCs are headed by Presiding Officers who are selected from amongst High Court Judges (serving/retired) or Distt./Addl. Distt. Judges (serving/retired).

"We will also take steps to fill the existing vacancies in these tribunals. The funds will be provided for infrastructure of these courts," the minister said.
"We must have an instinct to go ahead with zeal to maintain industrial harmony by all ways and means like holding as many lokadalats and camp courts as possible for encouraging litigants to come forward for quick redressal of their grievances and disputes.