Government to align future tribunal law with Supreme Court rulings on appointments and judicial independence
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal stated in Lok Sabha that future tribunal law will be aligned with Supreme Court rulings on appointments and judicial independence.
- Tribunal Reforms Act, 2021 was framed to change rules for tribunals, including appointments and services for tribunal members and Chairpersons, but Supreme Court struck down some provisions.
- Supreme Court judgments can invalidate parts of an Act, so Parliament and the executive must design future tribunal rules to follow the Supreme Court’s directions.
- Judicial independence in tribunals means tribunal decision-makers should not face improper executive pressure, and service and tenure protections are used to support that independence.
- A Lok Sabha reply signals the government’s intention to align future tribunal law with Supreme Court rulings on tribunal appointments, tenure, service conditions, and judicial independence.
What happened (Lok Sabha reply on tribunal law)
Union Minister of Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal stated in a written reply to the Lok Sabha that the government will align future tribunal legislation with Supreme Court rulings affecting tribunal appointments and judicial independence.
The minister pointed to a Supreme Court judgment dated 19.11.2025 in Madras Bar Association vs. UOI (W.P.(C) No.1018 of 2021), where the Court struck down certain provisions of the Tribunal Reforms Act, 2021 (the minister referred to paragraph 142 of the judgment).
UPSC can examine the constitutional and institutional logic behind judicial independence in tribunals—especially how Supreme Court decisions on appointment processes and tenure/service conditions translate into legislative design. The focus can remain on what the Supreme Court set aside and how the government proposes to reflect those rulings in future tribunal laws.
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