The Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that it was constitutional to abolish the Odisha Administrative Tribunal.
A bench presided by by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud dismissed the tribunal bar association’s appeal of the ruling.
“We hold that abolition of Orissa Administrative Tribunal (OAT) was constitutionally valid. Article 323A (dealing with Administrative tribunals) does not preclude the Union of India to abolish state administrative tribunals. The decision to abolish the tribunal is not violative of Article 14 of the Constitution,” the bench also comprising Justice PS Narasimha stated.
The Orissa Administrative Tribunal Bar Association appealed a high court decision that supported the central government’s Department of Personnel and Training’s statement that OAT would be abolished on August 2, 2019, and the highest court was currently hearing their case.
The high court had stated in its ruling that there was enough evidence to back up the state government’s contention that the OAT had failed to fulfil its promise to provide litigants with prompt justice.
Prasanta Patnaik 
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