UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Reforming India’s Tribunal System
Q1. Consider the following matters of adjudication in relation to the tribunal-enabling provisions inserted by the Constitution (Forty-second Amendment) Act, 1976:
Which of the above is/are correctly identified as matters falling under Article 323B (tribunals for other matters) rather than under Article 323A?
- Levy, assessment, collection and enforcement of any tax
- Land reforms and matters connected with agrarian land holdings
- Recruitment to the public services and posts in connection with the affairs of the Union
- Conditions of service of persons appointed to the public services of a State
- A. 2 and 3
- B. 1 and 2
- C. 1, 3 and 4
- D. 3 and 4 only
Q2. Which one of the following correctly describes the scope of Article 323A of the Constitution of India?
- A. It empowers Parliament to provide by law for adjudication by tribunals of disputes relating to recruitment and conditions of service of public servants
- B. It empowers Parliament as well as the State Legislatures to provide by law for tribunals to adjudicate disputes relating to taxation, land reforms and other specified matters
- C. It empowers the central government to establish by notification appellate tribunals to hear appeals against the orders of statutory regulators in specified sectors
- D. It empowers the Supreme Court to transfer to specialised tribunals any category of civil disputes pending before the several High Courts
Q3. Consider the following statements comparing successive rulings of the Supreme Court in the Madras Bar Association line of cases on tribunals:
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The 2010 ruling observed that the tribunals then functioning had not achieved complete independence, whereas the 2014 ruling laid down that tribunals discharging the jurisdiction of High Courts must be free from executive interference in the selection of members, in composition and in terms of service.
- A National Tribunals Commission was directed by the Court in its 2020 ruling, but such a body was provided for by statute only through legislation of 2026.
- The 2020 ruling prescribed the age of retirement as 70 years for members of tribunals and 67 years for chairpersons of tribunals.
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 2 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q4. Consider the following propositions relating to holdings of the Supreme Court in the Madras Bar Association cases:
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- In Madras Bar Association v. Union of India [(2026) 2 SCC 1], the Court struck down provisions of the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021 and directed the establishment of an independent National Tribunals Commission.
- In its 2020 ruling, the Court prescribed a term of five years for chairpersons and members of tribunals.
- In its 2014 ruling, the Court held that tribunals exercising the jurisdiction of High Courts must be composed exclusively of sitting judges of High Courts, and that technical members can never be appointed to them.
- In its 2010 ruling, the Court held that the power of legislatures to create tribunals is confined solely to the subject matters expressly enumerated in Article 323B.
- A. 1 and 3
- B. 2 and 4
- C. 1 and 2
- D. 1, 2 and 4
Q5. The Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021 fixed a term of office for the Chairperson and Members of tribunals which the Supreme Court subsequently struck down. That statutory term was of how many years?
- A. Three years
- B. Four years
- C. Five years
- D. Six years
Q6. Legislation on tribunal reforms, including the repeal of the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021, has been piloted in Parliament by which one of the following ministries?
- A. The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, through the Department of Personnel and Training
- B. The Ministry of Home Affairs, through the Department of Justice
- C. The Ministry of Law and Justice, through the Department of Legal Affairs
- D. The Ministry of Corporate Affairs, through the Department of Financial Services
Q7. With reference to the appointment of the Chairperson and Members of the National Tribunals Commission under the Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026, which one of the following is correct?
- A. They are appointed by the President on the recommendation of a collegium of the three senior-most judges of the Supreme Court
- B. They are appointed by the central government, with consultation of the Chief Justice of India for the chairperson and judicial members
- C. The chairperson is appointed by the Chief Justice of India, while the remaining members are nominated by the central government
- D. They are appointed by the central government on the recommendation of the Secretary heading the Commission's Secretariat
Q8. Consider the following statements comparing the appointment machinery under the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021 with that under the Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026:
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Under the 2021 Act the Search-cum-Selection Committee at the national level was chaired by the Chief Justice of India or a Supreme Court judge nominated by them, whereas under the 2026 Bill such a Committee is headed by the Chairperson or a judicial member of the National Tribunals Commission.
- Whereas the 2021 Act laid down no time frame at all for the central government to act on the recommendations of a selection committee, the 2026 Bill for the first time introduces a three-month outer limit.
- Under the 2026 Bill the Search-cum-Selection Committee recommends one candidate for each vacancy along with one candidate in the waiting list.
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 2 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 2 and 3 only
Q9. Consider the following statements regarding the enactment of the Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026 as compared with the tribunal reforms law that preceded it:
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 10 August 2026 and was passed by the Rajya Sabha on 11 August 2026.
- The tribunal reforms law of 2021 was first brought into force as an Ordinance before being enacted, whereas the 2026 Bill was introduced directly in Parliament.
- The Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026 amends, but does not repeal, the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021, just as the 2021 law had repealed the Finance Act, 2017 in its entirety.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q10. Consider the following statements about the Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026 as passed by Parliament:
Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?
- It repeals the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021.
- It extends to every quasi-judicial body in the country without exception, covering all appellate authorities set up under central and State laws alike.
- It provides for a National Tribunals Data Grid, a repository of case-related information of the tribunals it covers, to be developed and maintained by the National Tribunals Commission.
- It provides that appointments to tribunals shall be made exclusively by the Chief Justice of India, the central government having no role whatsoever in the process.
- A. 1 and 3
- B. 2 and 4
- C. 2, 3 and 4
- D. 4 only
Q11. Which one of the following was the earliest tribunal to be set up in India, having been established in 1941?
- A. The Central Administrative Tribunal, which adjudicates service disputes of central government employees
- B. The Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal, which hears appeals in indirect tax matters
- C. The Income-tax Appellate Tribunal, which hears appeals in direct tax matters
- D. The Railway Claims Tribunal, which decides claims for compensation against the railways
Q12. In pursuit of rationalising the tribunal structure by merging functionally similar bodies, the Finance Act, 2017 reduced the number of tribunals from 26 to how many?