Advocatespedia:Do you know/June 30, 2024

Apart from these judicial bodies, Indian judiciary is also characterised by numerous semi-judicial bodies involved in dispute resolution. These bodies function as semi or quasi-judicial bodies because they may consist of administrative officers or judges without a legal background. Yet they function in their judicial capacity and hear relevant legal matters and settle claims between the parties.

Tribunals have been constituted under specific constitutional mandate enshrined in the Constitution of India or through legal enactments, e.g. a law passed by the legislature. Their creation aims at increasing efficiency in resolving disputes and reducing the burden on courts. Examples of some of these tribunals include: Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) for resolving the grievances and disputes of central government employees, and State Administrative Tribunals (SAT) for state government employees; Telecom Dispute Settlement Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) for resolving disputes in the telecom sector in India; and the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for disputes involving environmental issues. Some of these tribunals function with regulators. Regulators are specialised government agencies that oversee the law and order compliance in the relevant government sectors. For example, one of the tribunals TDSAT functions alongside the regulator, TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) in formulating laws and policy for resolving telecom disputes in India. Therefore these tribunals complement and supplement the role of courts in maintaining law and justice in the society.