The Supreme Court today asked the Central government to respond on whether the tenures of adjudicators at the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) and Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) can be extended for three months..A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud posed the question to Attorney General KK Venugopal during the hearing of the petitions challenging various provisions of the Finance Act relating to tribunals..This came after Senior Counsel PS Patwalia submitted that the NCDRC and the CAT are functioning with depleted strength, and that they would be further depleted by end of January, 2018..The Court went on to record the same before ordering,.“In view of the nature of function of the tribunals, we enquired from the learned Attorney General whether it will be in the fitness of things to allow the adjudicator who are continuing in these two tribunals for a period of three months so that things can be brought under control. Learned Attorney General prays for time till 11th December, 2017, to obtain instruction for the said purpose. Be it noted, our suggestion is only in respect of N.C.D.R.C. and C.A.T. and nothing more.”.The case is now listed for hearing on December 11..Read the order below.
