THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Excessive Court docket has given a lease of life to the Kerala Administrative Tribunal (KAT) because it allowed the present judicial members with the tribunal to proceed of their posts until the appointment of a new chairman or judicial members by the Central authorities. The KAT is answerable for listening to the service-related issues of presidency staff and the instances pertaining to P SC appointments. The Excessive Court docket intervention got here at a time when the KAT was watching uncertainty owing to the retirement of two of its judicial members.
Performing chairman and judicial member Benny Gervacis and fellow member V Rajendran had been to step down on Monday leaving administrative member Rajesh Diwan, who single-handedly wouldn’t be capable to take care of an enormous variety of instances that attain the tribunal. Nonetheless, aided by the Excessive Court docket order, Gervacis and Rajendran can now proceed of their posts.
As per official figures, as many as 5,000 instances are filed earlier than the tribunal annually. The tribunal, headquartered within the capital and having a bench in Kochi, is a boon to hundreds of presidency staff as their service instances can be heard and settled by an unique courtroom.After the retirement of former chairman T R Ramachandran Nair, there was no transfer from the central authorities to nominate a brand new chairman.
As per guidelines, the chairman ought to be a member of the committee that elects the judicial and administrative members. It’s this protocol that would have hampered the functioning of the tribunal sans the intervention of the courtroom. The petition in search of an extension of tenure of the 2 judicial members was collectively filed KAT Affiliation President M Fathahudeen and Indian Affiliation of Attorneys Kerala chapter vice-president Vazhuthacaud Narendran.
In view of the retirement of the earlier chairman, the state authorities has already nominated former Excessive Court docket Choose C Okay Abdul Rehim as the subsequent tribunal chairman and the proposal was ratified by the Supreme Court docket Chief Justice. Nonetheless, the central authorities is but to take any step to maneuver the file to the President, who’s the appointing authority. The Kerala Administrative Tribunal Advocates Affiliation (KATAA) has urged the state authorities to place stress on the central authorities to fast-track the appointment of KAT chairman.
