What happened: Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026 creates a National Tribunals Commission (NTC)
The Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026 sets up a judiciary-led National Tribunals Commission (NTC) to reform tribunal administration. Parliament passed the Bill in August 2026.
The Bill’s objective is to make tribunal administration more independent of executive control, more transparent, and more uniform across the tribunal system covered by the Bill. The Bill also aims to strengthen accountability through performance monitoring, oversight mechanisms, and audit-based parliamentary accountability.
Background: Supreme Court direction after striking down the 2021 tribunal law
In Madras Bar Association v. Union of India (2026) 2 SCC 1, the Supreme Court struck down provisions of the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021. The Supreme Court also directed the establishment of an independent National Tribunals Commission.
The Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026 proposes to repeal the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021 and replace it with a new tribunal administration framework led by the National Tribunals Commission.