UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — RS passes Tribunals Reforms Bill amid Opposition walkout
Q1. Under the Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026, who is qualified to be appointed as the Chairperson of the National Tribunals Commission?
- A. A person who is or has been the Chief Justice of India, appointed on the recommendation of the collegium of the Supreme Court
- B. A person who has been a Chief Justice or a Judge of a High Court, appointed after consultation with the Attorney General for India
- C. A person who has been a Judge of the Supreme Court or a Chief Justice of a High Court, appointed after consultation with the Chief Justice of India
- D. A person having at least twenty-five years of experience in public administration, finance or accountancy, appointed by the Central Government
Q2. With reference to the appointment machinery for tribunals under the Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026 as compared with the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021, consider the following statements:
1. Under the 2021 Act the search-cum-selection committee had to recommend two names for each vacancy, whereas under the 2026 Bill it recommends one suitable candidate along with another name to be kept on a waiting list.
2. The National Tribunals Commission is a five-member body consisting of a Chairperson, two Judicial Members and two Technical Members.
3. Under the 2026 Bill, as under the 2021 Act, the search-cum-selection committees for tribunal appointments continue to be headed by the Chief Justice of India or a Judge of the Supreme Court nominated by the Chief Justice of India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Under the 2021 Act the search-cum-selection committee had to recommend two names for each vacancy, whereas under the 2026 Bill it recommends one suitable candidate along with another name to be kept on a waiting list.
- The National Tribunals Commission is a five-member body consisting of a Chairperson, two Judicial Members and two Technical Members.
- Under the 2026 Bill, as under the 2021 Act, the search-cum-selection committees for tribunal appointments continue to be headed by the Chief Justice of India or a Judge of the Supreme Court nominated by the Chief Justice of India.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q3. Which one of the following is the constitutional provision that empowers Parliament alone, and not State Legislatures, to provide by law for the adjudication by tribunals of disputes relating to recruitment and conditions of service of persons appointed to public services of the Union or of any State?
- A. Article 227
- B. Article 262
- C. Article 323A
- D. Article 323B
Q4. The Central Administrative Tribunal, constituted under the law enacted in pursuance of Article 323A, presently functions under the administrative aegis of which one of the following?
- A. The Department of Justice under the Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India
- B. The Department of Legal Affairs under the Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India
- C. The Department of Personnel and Training under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
- D. The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
Q5. How many tribunals are brought under the uniform framework of appointment and service conditions provided by the Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026?
Q6. With reference to the passage of the Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026 in Parliament, consider the following statements:
1. While replying to the debate, the Minister piloting the Bill stated that it widens the jurisdiction of the covered tribunals beyond what was available under the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021.
2. The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on 10 August 2026 and by the Rajya Sabha on the following day.
3. The Bill was piloted by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law and Justice, who described the National Tribunals Commission as the "core" of the Bill.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- While replying to the debate, the Minister piloting the Bill stated that it widens the jurisdiction of the covered tribunals beyond what was available under the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021.
- The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on 10 August 2026 and by the Rajya Sabha on the following day.
- The Bill was piloted by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law and Justice, who described the National Tribunals Commission as the "core" of the Bill.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q7. Consider the following features attributed to the Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026 as passed by Parliament:
1. It repeals the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021.
2. It provides for a National Tribunals Data Grid to be developed and maintained by the National Tribunals Commission.
3. It bars the appointment of any person below fifty years of age as a Chairperson or Member of a tribunal.
4. It raises the term of office of tribunal Chairpersons and Members from four years to five years.
Which of the above is/are NOT correct?
- It repeals the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021.
- It provides for a National Tribunals Data Grid to be developed and maintained by the National Tribunals Commission.
- It bars the appointment of any person below fifty years of age as a Chairperson or Member of a tribunal.
- It raises the term of office of tribunal Chairpersons and Members from four years to five years.
- A. 1 and 3
- B. 2 and 4
- C. 1, 2 and 4
- D. 3 only
Q8. With reference to Supreme Court pronouncements on tribunals in India, consider the following statements:
1. In L. Chandra Kumar (1997), the Court held that the jurisdiction of the High Courts under Articles 226 and 227 and of the Supreme Court under Article 32 forms part of the basic structure and cannot be excluded in respect of tribunal decisions.
2. In Rojer Mathew v. South Indian Bank Ltd (2019), the Court held that the subjects enumerated in Article 323B are exhaustive, so legislatures cannot constitute tribunals on any subject falling outside that list.
3. In its Madras Bar Association judgment of November 2025, the Court directed that appointments to tribunals be completed within three months of the recommendations and called for an independent National Tribunals Commission.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- In L. Chandra Kumar (1997), the Court held that the jurisdiction of the High Courts under Articles 226 and 227 and of the Supreme Court under Article 32 forms part of the basic structure and cannot be excluded in respect of tribunal decisions.
- In Rojer Mathew v. South Indian Bank Ltd (2019), the Court held that the subjects enumerated in Article 323B are exhaustive, so legislatures cannot constitute tribunals on any subject falling outside that list.
- In its Madras Bar Association judgment of November 2025, the Court directed that appointments to tribunals be completed within three months of the recommendations and called for an independent National Tribunals Commission.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 1 and 3 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q9. The Supreme Court has repeatedly recommended that administrative support to all tribunals, and their administration generally, be routed through a single nodal ministry rather than the respective parent ministry. Which one of the following has the Court named as that nodal ministry?
- A. The Ministry of Home Affairs, which handles centre-State administrative coordination
- B. The Ministry of Law and Justice, which deals with legal affairs and the administration of justice
- C. The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, which handles service matters
- D. The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, which handles statutory and legislative coordination
Q10. Among the tribunals brought within the uniform framework of the Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026, the Armed Forces Tribunal — which hears appeals arising out of verdicts of courts-martial — presently functions under the administrative control of which one of the following?
- A. The Department of Justice under the Ministry of Law and Justice, through the proposed Central Tribunal Division
- B. The Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare, which administers welfare and pension matters of the three Services
- C. The Department of Military Affairs, headed by the Chief of Defence Staff as its Secretary
- D. The Ministry of Defence, which is also the ministry administering the Armed Forces Tribunal Act, 2007
Q11. In debates on the tribunalisation of justice in India, which one of the following best describes the proposition laid down by the Supreme Court in L. Chandra Kumar (1997)?
- A. Tribunals may act as courts of first instance in their fields, but their orders remain amenable to the writ jurisdiction of the High Courts, which is part of the basic structure
- B. Tribunals constituted under Articles 323A and 323B may exclude the writ jurisdiction of the High Courts so long as an appeal lies to the Supreme Court under Article 136
- C. Tribunals constituted under Article 323A may determine the constitutional validity of their parent statutes to the exclusion of both the High Courts and the Supreme Court
- D. The power to constitute tribunals under Article 323B is confined to the subjects expressly enumerated in that Article and cannot extend to any other subject matter