Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985

The respondents, transferred to the Indian Railways, sought seniority and promotion benefits under a 2005 order of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT). The department allegedly failed to fully implement the order, prompting the respondents to file a contempt petition before the CAT, which in 2010 directed the app…

The appellants, doctors employed in Central Health Services and Railways, sought inclusion of the Non‑Practicing Allowance (NPA) in the computation of their pension, arguing that an Office Memorandum dated 29‑Oct‑1999 unjustly excluded NPA for those who retired before 1 January 1996. The Union of India relied on the de…

The appellant, a former steward of AIIMS, was suspended in 1991 following a FIR for alleged embezzlement and later convicted in 1993 for theft, leading to his removal from service by a memorandum dated 6 January 2000 under Rule 19(i) of the CCS (CCA) Rules, 1965. After a settlement that resulted in the quashing of the …

The case concerned officers of the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) of the rank of Lt General (or equivalent) and the Director General AFMS, who were appointed for a fixed two‑year tenure subject to age limits. The Armed Forces Tribunal held that the tenure clause was ultra vires and ordered retirement at the age o…

Ms. A. Shainamol, an OBC candidate who qualified on general merit in the 2006 Civil Services Examination, was allocated to the Himachal Pradesh IAS cadre after the state's consent. She challenged the allocation, seeking placement in the Maharashtra cadre on the basis of higher merit than another candidate, and later th…

The appellant, a Forest Range Officer (FRO) appointed in 2006 and promoted to Assistant Conservator of Forests in 2020, sought to have FROs treated as members of the State Forest Service (SFS) for promotion to the Indian Forest Service (IFoS). The issue was whether the term "State Forest Service" in Rule 2(g) of the In…

Udai Bhan Singh, a Postal Assistant, was charged with misconduct for authorising payments of National Savings Certificate commissions to fictitious agents, resulting in a loss of Rs.6.65 lakh. The disciplinary inquiry found the charges proved, leading to a reduction in pay, which was later enhanced to dismissal by the …

The Odisha Administrative Tribunal (OAT) was created in 1986 under the Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985, but was abolished by a Union Government notification dated 2 August 2019, issued under Section 21 of the General Clauses Act in conjunction with Section 4(2) of the same Act, after the State of Odisha requested it…

The appellants, supervisory employees of the Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Ltd., claimed double overtime allowance under Section 59(1) of the Factories Act, 1948 for work performed between 1988 and 2005. Their claim arose while they were central government servants holding civil posts, and therefor…

Senior Laboratory Assistants in West Bengal sought a higher pay scale, leading to a High Court order granting scale 11. Subsequent pay commissions fixed lower scales, and the State framed statutory rules (ROPA Rules) reflecting those scales. Research Assistants later applied to the State Administrative Tribunal for pay…

The State of Punjab appointed Harish Dhanda as Chairman of the Punjab Public Service Commission, prompting a public‑interest writ petition under Article 226 alleging lack of integrity, political affiliation and absence of requisite administrative experience. The Punjab & Haryana High Court Division Bench referred speci…

The dispute concerned the eligibility of Shri Deo Kumar Rai, a casual labourer of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), for temporary status and regularisation under the Department of Telecommunications' 1989 Scheme, which requires at least 240 days of work in a single calendar year. A Committee examined his service records…

The Union of India appealed against the Tribunal and High Court orders that directed the appointment of Ankur Gupta (the third respondent) as Postal Assistant, after he was excluded from training on the basis of his vocational‑stream intermediate qualification. The dispute centered on whether the amendment to the 1990 …

The State of Himachal Pradesh prepared a draft development plan for the Shimla Planning Area under the Himachal Pradesh Town & Country Planning Act, 1977, which was stayed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in 2014 and again in 2022. The State challenged the NGT orders before the Himachal Pradesh High Court, while th…

Mehmood Pracha, appearing as counsel before the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), was charged with criminal contempt under Section 14 of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 for allegedly demanding a camera‑held hearing to make undisclosed allegations against the Chairman. The Tribunal framed the charge on 10‑02‑2020,…

The appellants, junior engineers (Electrical) originally appointed in All India Radio, were deputed to the Postal Department and later opted for permanent absorption on terms that they would be deemed new recruits and their seniority would not be counted. After the seniority list was published, they challenged the excl…

Visually‑impaired candidate Ravi Prakash Gupta cleared the Civil Services Examination and was placed fifth among candidates of his disability category, but was denied appointment because only one post was offered for visually‑handicapped candidates. He claimed entitlement to a reservation under Section 33 of the Person…

Unni Menon, an Assistant Accounts Officer on deputation to the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), was promoted in his parent department and later absorbed as an Accounts Officer in CAT. He claimed that, under a 1992 Government circular granting a promotional grade to "Organized Accounts Cadres," he was entitled to …

The Supreme Court examined whether the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) could entertain challenges to regulations made by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) under Section 36 of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997. It held that the power conferred on TRAI by Sectio…

The petitioners challenged several amendments made by the Administrative Tribunals (Amendment) Act, 2006, including the abolition of the Vice‑Chairman post, the new qualification criteria for Administrative Members, the ten‑year total tenure limit (s.10A), differential service conditions for members appointed before an…

The Union of India filed a transfer petition under Section 25 of the Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985 to move a disciplinary case filed by Alapan Bandyopadhyay before the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) Kolkata bench to the Principal Bench in Delhi. The Delhi Principal Bench allowed the transfer, but the Calcut…

The Union of India appealed against an Armed Forces Tribunal order that had granted One Rank One Pension (OROP) to Lt. Col. Om Dutt Sharma (deceased) and other personnel who served in the Army Postal Service (APS) on deputation from the Department of Posts. The respondents argued that, as temporary commissioned officer…

Shanker Raju, a Judicial Member of the Central Administrative Tribunal, completed two five‑year terms (total ten years) and applied for a fresh vacancy in April 2010. The Union of India rejected his application, stating that he would complete his second term on 9 December 2010 and was therefore ineligible for re‑appoin…

The Union of India appealed against a High Court of Uttarakhand order that set aside the Chairman of the Central Administrative Tribunal’s (CAT) transfer of an original application (OA) from the Nainital Circuit Bench to the Principal Bench in New Delhi. The Union argued that the High Court lacked territorial jurisdict…

Mohammed Ansari, a member of the General Reserve Engineering Force (GREF), sought non‑functional financial upgradation after completing the requisite service. He filed an original application before the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), which, despite a preliminary objection by the Government on jurisdiction, ente…

A. Durairaj, a senior section engineer of Southern Railways, was denied an ad‑hoc promotion to Assistant Signal and Telecommunication Engineer (ASTE) in 1976 on the ground of colour blindness as certified by a medical report. After obtaining a B.E. degree in 1998, he was medically cleared and promoted as Assistant Work…

The Kerala Public Service Commission advertised 12 Boat Lascar vacancies requiring a current Lascar's licence, but the appellant, holding a higher Syrang's licence, applied and was placed first in the ranked list and advised for appointment. While the appointment was pending, two applications were filed before the Kera…

The appeal concerned an order of the Chairman of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) who, sitting alone, stayed proceedings before a two‑member bench and rendered its interim orders ineffective. The petitioner (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) argued that the Chairman had acted beyond his statutory author…