Jammu: Disposal of service cases by the Jammu bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has gone beyond expectations and is among the highest in the country, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Sunday.
Speaking after inaugurating the Jammu bench’s new Office-and-Court Complex at Bahu Plaza here, Singh said the high disposal rate at the CAT benches in Jammu and Srinagar demonstrates the capacity built by the Tribunal to provide speedy and accessible justice in service matters.
Referring to the Tribunal’s overall performance, Singh said that since its inception in 1985 to June 30, 2026, CAT has seen 10,01,177 cases being filed before its benches across the country. Of this, 9,32,723 have been disposed of, resulting in an overall disposal rate of approximately 93.16 per cent.
The performance of the Jammu and Srinagar benches was particularly significant in view of the substantial workload transferred to them from the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir High Court, apart from the fresh cases instituted before the Tribunal.
Up to June 30 this year, as many as 20,984 cases were transferred from the high court, while 20,405 fresh cases were filed before these benches, he said.
Accordingly, 18,392 and 13,952 cases were disposed of from the above two categories respectively, said Singh, the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office.
The minister said the government was making sustained efforts to strengthen the institutional capacity of CAT and ensure that the facilities and technological tools available to constitutional courts are increasingly adopted within the Tribunal system as well.
He said the Jammu and Srinagar experience demonstrates that institutional capacity, technology, infrastructure and cooperation among all stakeholders can significantly strengthen the delivery of administrative justice.
The Jammu bench, which initially functioned with one Division bench, was subsequently strengthened with another Division bench in view of the growing workload and the need for speedy redressal of employees’ grievances. It currently has two judicial members and two administrative members.
The minister also highlighted the low rate of appeals from the CAT Jammu bench to the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. Only around 8 per cent of cases from the Jammu bench have gone for appeal in the high court, he said.
Referring to the statutory provision to challenge CAT judgments in the high court, the minister said that while the appellate mechanism has its place, repeated or unnecessary recourse to further litigation can add another layer to the process and potentially delay the objective of speedy justice.
“The ideal situation would be when no room is left to go for an appeal,” he said.
The minister also highlighted the growing use of technology to improve access to justice and for the convenience of litigants and the legal fraternity.
He said CAT has progressively introduced digital facilities, including the Advance Case Information System (ACIS), e-filing, video conferencing, online display boards, SMS and email alerts, online payment of court fees, mobile-based access to case information, online certified copies, advanced search facilities, e-mentioning and e-listing.
Video conferencing, he said, had proved particularly useful during the COVID-19 period, enabling the Jammu bench to remain functional despite the extraordinary circumstances. The Tribunal has also undertaken digitisation of judicial records and introduced e-Court and paperless court facilities.
