Supreme Court Asks Centre To Respond To Plea About Filling Vacancies In Armed Forces Tribunal

The Supreme Court on Monday took note of vacancies in the Armed Forces Tribunal and asked the Centre and others to respond to a plea that wants the selection process completed and vacant posts filled quickly. The bench, led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, agreed to hear the petition and asked Attorney General R Venkataramani to help with the case. The bench told the lawyer for the petitioner, the Armed Forces Tribunal Bar Association (Regional Bench), to give the petition to the attorney general’s office. The court will hear the matter again in two weeks.

The petitioner’s lawyer said that out of 11 benches of the Armed Forces Tribunal, only three would be working by the end of the year if the vacancies are not

filled. The plea asks the Centre to finish the selection process and fill the vacancies in the Armed Forces Tribunal quickly, as required by Section 5 of the Armed Forces Tribunal Act, 2007. Section 5 explains how the tribunal and its benches are made up. The petition also asks that the current judicial and administrative members stay in office, if they agree, until new appointments are made.