What is the Administrative Tribunal in India?

An Administrative Tribunal was first established because the Hon. Supreme Court of India realized that many government officials had their grievances related to the service span in the government institutions filed which went unresolved. Moreover, the case in which the Supreme Court realized the importance of the tribunal was Ramchandran Shankar Devodhar and others v/s State of Maharashtra. An Administrative Tribunal Act, of 1985 was enacted as per the Article 323A of the Hon’ble Constitution of India. Scroll through to learn the features of Administrative Tribunals as well as about the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) and Central Administrative Tribunal(CAT) in India.

What are the Main Features of Administrative Tribunal?

Furthermore, the following table covers the Main Features:

Main Features of Administrative Tribunal
Function	Description
Adjudicating Disputes	Tribunals hear and decide on disputes between parties, similar to a Court but with a specific focus.
Determining Rights Between Contesting Parties	Tribunals establish the rights and obligations of the parties involved in the dispute.
Making Administrative Decisions	They make decisions based on administrative law, which governs the actions of government agencies.
Reviewing Existing Administrative Decisions	Tribunals can review decisions made by administrative bodies to ensure they were made correctly.
Resolving Administrative or Tax-related Disputes	One of the primary roles is to resolve disputes related to administrative actions or tax matters.
Interpreting Laws and Regulations	Tribunals provide interpretations of laws and regulations as they apply to specific cases.
Offering Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)	In some cases, tribunals offer ADR methods like mediation or arbitration to resolve disputes.

What is a State Administrative Tribunal?

As mentioned above, the Administrative Tribunals Act 1985 gave birth to CAT. However, the powers lie in the hands of the Central Government concerning state government issues. 

• Recruitment and all service matters of all the employees working in specific State government offices are allowed to be handled by the SAT. 

• For the selection of people to sit in SAT, there is a proper selection committee assigned to this work. 

• The President of India employs the Chairman and members of the State Administrative Tribunal. Moreover, they have a consultation along with the Governor of the State. 

Also Read: 7 Functions of High Court in India: Jurisdiction and Power

What is Central Administrative Tribunal?

The CAT is a specialized body in India established to handle service-related matters of Central government employees. 

• It was set up in the year 1985 under the Indian Constitution and aims to provide speedy and affordable justice.

• CAT adjudicates disputes concerning recruitment, promotions, pay, and other conditions of service for government employees. 

• Furthermore, it comprises judicial as well as administrative members. Thus, making sure expertise in legal matters and government procedures. 

• There are 19 benches across India and CAT offers a more accessible forum compared to regular Courts.

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This is everything about the Administrative Tribunal in India. For more content related to the different states of India, visit our Civics and Polity archives.