Supreme Court Slams Government's Plea to Delay Tribunal Reforms Act Case Before CJI's Retirement

The Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai, voiced significant displeasure towards the Central government's request for an adjournment in a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Tribunal Reforms Act, 2021. CJI Gavai indicated that the government's repeated requests, made via Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appeared to be an attempt to postpone the hearing until after his retirement on November 24, 2025. He remarked that the court had already accommodated the government twice and found the repeated requests for adjournment, often linked to international arbitration or midnight applications for larger benches, to be "very unfair." The Chief Justice stated the court's intention was to hear the case on Friday and complete the judgment over the weekend. Senior Advocate Arvind Datar, representing the Madras Bar Association, was asked to continue his submissions. The CJI issued a strong statement that if the Attorney General for India, R Venkataramani, did not appear to address the case on Monday, the court might proceed to close the matter. This follows previous remarks by CJI Gavai on November 3rd, where he suggested the government sought to prevent him from deciding the case and questioned the belated raising of preliminary objections regarding a reference to a larger bench, especially after the court had heard one side on merits. Justice K Vinod Chandran concurred with the CJI's sentiment that objections should have been raised earlier.

Impact: The government's persistent requests for adjournment and delayed raising of preliminary objections could lead to the rejection of their pleas. This may result in the Supreme Court proceeding to hear the case on its merits without further delay, potentially accelerating the judgment on the constitutional validity of significant aspects of the Tribunal Reforms Act, 2021. This could impact the structure and functioning of various tribunals in India. Rating: 7/10

Difficult Terms: * **Tribunal Reforms Act, 2021**: A law enacted by the Indian Parliament to reform the functioning and appointment processes of various tribunals. * **Adjournment**: The postponement of a court hearing to a later date. * **Bench**: A group of judges presiding over a court case. * **Retirement**: The act of leaving one's job, typically upon reaching a certain age. CJI Gavai was scheduled to retire soon after the hearing. * **Additional Solicitor General (ASG)**: A law officer appointed by the government to assist the Attorney General in representing the government in legal matters. * **Attorney General for India (AG)**: The principal legal advisor to the Government of India. * **Preliminary objection**: An objection raised at the beginning of a legal proceeding, before the main arguments are heard. * **Larger Bench**: A bench comprising more judges than the one originally assigned to hear a case, often constituted to resolve complex legal questions or differing opinions. * **High Court**: A principal civil court of original jurisdiction in each state and union territory of India. * **Merits**: The substantive legal issues and facts of a case, as opposed to procedural matters. * **International arbitration**: A process of resolving disputes between parties from different countries outside of national courts.