Centre to create national data grid for cases across 16 tribunals, panels

A repository of cases pertaining to 16 tribunals and appellate bodies will be created under a new law aimed at bringing uniformity in appointments to various such panels.

The Tribunals Reforms Bill, which was passed by Parliament recently and will come into force on a day to be decided by the government, provides for a National Tribunals Data Grid.

The bill defines the grid as a portal containing the repository of all case-related information pertaining to tribunals covered by its First Schedule.

The First Schedule names 16 tribunals and appellate tribunals. The proposed grid is intended as a centralised information repository of cases before these bodies.

 

The National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG), functioning on similar lines, is a comprehensive, near-real-time online database tracking orders, judgments, and case details across all tiers of the Indian judiciary. It is managed by the e-Committee of the Supreme Court.

According to estimates based on parliamentary replies, more than 5.24 lakh cases are currently pending before various tribunals.

These quasi-judicial bodies were originally set up to provide swift justice and reduce the burden on the judiciary. However, pendency before these bodies has increased significantly over the decades.