National Tribunals Commission to oversee selection, appointment of Tribunals

It establishes a new body called the National Tribunals Commission to oversee the selection, appointment, and functioning of these Tribunals.

Who it concerns: The Bill affects the Chairpersons and Members of the Tribunals listed in the First Schedule, the newly established National Tribunals Commission, and the Central Government which appoints the Commission and grants it funds.

What the bill does

• Establishment of the National Tribunals Commission with headquarters in New Delhi.
• The Commission consists of a Chairperson (former Supreme Court Judge or High Court Chief Justice) and four Members (two Judicial, two Technical).
• The Commission is responsible for conducting selection processes for Tribunal Chairpersons and Members via Search-cum-Selection Committees.
• The Commission must review Tribunal performance, oversee inquiries into complaints against Tribunal members, and maintain a 'National Tribunals Data Grid' portal.
• Search-cum-Selection Committees are constituted to select Tribunal Chairpersons and Members, including specific members like retired High Court judges and government secretaries.
• The Central Government appoints the Commission members, with mandatory consultation with the Chief Justice of India for the Chairperson and Judicial Members.
• Commission members serve a five-year term or until age 70, whichever is earlier.
• Removal of Commission members requires specific grounds (insolvency, moral turpitude, incapacity, conflict of interest, or abuse of position) and an inquiry process for certain grounds.

Also in the document

• The Bill creates a new statutory body, the National Tribunals Commission.
• It mandates the creation of a 'National Tribunals Data Grid' for case-related information.
• The Bill includes provisions for the audit of the Commission's accounts by the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India.