Commercial tribunals case backlog rises sharply, Supreme Court rules on reforms
The question asked the Ministry of Law and Justice to provide details on the functioning, vacancies, pendency, and disposal rates of commercial tribunals, as well as steps taken to improve efficiency. The government responded by citing Supreme Court findings and providing data on staffing and case statistics.
Asked by Shri Manish Tewari; Answered by Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Law and Justice.
- Supreme Court judgment dated 19.11.2025 in Madras Bar Association vs. UOI regarding Tribunal Reforms Act, 2021.
- ITAT vacancies: 46 Chairperson/Member posts vacant in 2024-25, reducing to 14 by 2026-27.
- NCLT vacancies: 12 Chairperson/Member posts and 253 Registry staff vacant as on 03.08.2026.
- NCLAT vacancies: 1 Chairperson/Member post and 85 Registry staff vacant as on 30.06.2026.
- DRT status: 7 out of 39 Debt Recovery Tribunals are vacant, with Presiding Officers of other DRTs assigned additional charge.
- ITAT pendency increased from 38,759 cases in 2024-25 to 68,018 cases by 30.06.2026.
- NCLT pendency decreased from 21,664 cases in 2023-24 to 14,813 cases in 2025-26.
- Measures include strengthening digital infrastructure, e-Office adoption, video conferencing hearings, and online case management systems.
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Parliamentary Q&A
07.08.2026
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Document details
| Official title | Functioning and Performances of Commercial Tribunals |
| Source body | Parliament of India — Questions & Answers (Lok Sabha, starred) |
| Reference number | LS Q293 (Session 8) |
| Status | closed (question) |
| Year | 07.0 |
| Closing date | — |
| Documents | 1 |