When a tribunal gets benched

If one were to run state agencies efficiently, there simply cannot be an absence of advance planning to ensure the tribunals we create are also well-manned by judges

It is the known unknown in the field of law. When a member of a tribunal retires, his successor in office would be far from being identified. It matters not how premier the tribunal’s reputation, standing and indeed, relevance, is around the globe.

Last week, the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) saw its presiding officer demit office. The tribunal had already been missing one member for several months. Its functioning is now grounded — no final hearings are possible. The only member left is not a “judicial member”. Until a judicial member joins the bench, only interim reliefs and admissions of new