Tribunals on ventilators

The plight of litigants in the Supreme Court and high courts after the lockdown is evident as only about half among the sitting judges are holding court through video conference. The number of judgments delivered has also shrunk as never before. However, the status of the innumerable tribunals is much worse. Though they were set up to avoid the chronic delays in ordinary courts, there are hardly any of these quasi-judicial bodies which have full complement of members. In fact, most of them are topless, with no presidents appointed for long periods. Their predicament has worsened after the surprise lockdown.

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