Bhubaneswar: On a request of the state government, the department of personnel and training (DoPT) under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions has issued a notification to abolish the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT).
In the notification, DoPT said it has abolished the SAT on the request of the state government. After obtaining the concurrence of the Orissa High Court, the state government had requested the Centre to scrap the tribunal.
Earlier, the state cabinet had approved winding up of SAT in September 2015. Subsequently, the government had sent the proposal to the Centre to issue a notification for its abolition. Since then, the matter was pending with the Centre.
In 1997, the Supreme Court had held that approaching the apex court against an order of the tribunal as allowed under the Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985 was unconstitutional. It said the provision was inconsistent with the basic structure of the Constitution.
As a result, aggrieved parties could approach the High Court first. Hence, the very objective of the establishment of the tribunal to deliver quick justice could not be achieved, the court had observed.
Established July 14, 1986, the SAT has its principal bench in Bhubaneswar, a regular bench in Cuttack and circuit benches in Sambalpur and Berhampur.
The tribunal has a sanctioned strength of a chairman and five members. But, it has been functioning with an acting chairman resulting in piling up of cases. According to sources, over 6,700 cases are pending before the SAT.