Will NGT Zonal Benches Become Non-Functional? Supreme Court To Hear On September 8

The Supreme Court today was informed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) Bar Association that three zonal benches of the NGT may become non-functional soon due to a lack of members.

The top court had earlier extended the tenure of certain NGT members. Their extended tenure will expire on September 8, following which the functioning of the NGT benches could come to a halt,court was told today.

"On behalf of the NGT Bar Association, I am seeking urgent listing of the NGT Bar Association matter. It is presently showing for September 15, but Your Lordships will recall that Your Lordships have extended the tenures till September 8. Now three benches of the NGT, including the Southern Bench and Western Zone Bench, will all have to stop functioning from September 8 because the NGT Act does not allow a single-member Bench. So it will completely cripple them. My Lords, only list the matter before September 8..", the court was told today.

Referring to the Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026, CJI Kant said, "But there is a new act now..".

In response the counsel stated, "But that cannot happen overnight. It will take some time for the appointments to happen. In the meantime, we cannot have one single Bench of the NGT functioning..If this happens, only one Bench at the Principal Seat will function till the new appointments happen, which could be three months or more. So three zonal benches come to a complete standstill and all matters will have to be heard in Delhi by the Principal Bench. Presently there are two Benches in Delhi, one of which will stop functioning from September 8. There is one in Madras. There is a savings clause in the new Act, Section 24(3). Any appointment process that is already underway should be completed. But we do not know what is going to happen. September 8 is the last date for three benches. I am only requesting that Your Lordships take up the matter before September 8, or Your Lordships may extend it till September 15 when the matter is listed".

A Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana accordingly agreed to list the matter on September 8.

Notably, the Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026, passed by the Lok Sabha on August 10 and by the Rajya Sabha on August 11, seeks to address these concerns by moving away from a fragmented administrative structure towards a common institutional framework for tribunals.

At the centre of the proposed framework is the National Tribunals Commission (NTC) established under Section 3, which will deal with appointments, administration, functioning, performance review and complaints relating to tribunals. The Bill also proposes a National Tribunals Data Grid to create a central repository of case-related information.

One of the most significant potential benefits of the Bill is the creation of a centralised process for filling vacancies. As given under Section 4(a), the NTC will conduct the selection process through Search-cum-Selection Committees constituted under Section 13. The Bill also provides that the Committee will recommend one suitable candidate and an additional name for each vacancy for inclusion in a waiting list, as per Section 14(6). The recommendation must be sent to the Central Government within three days, while the government is required to process it and make the appointment within three months of receiving it. This creates a defined timeline at different stages of the appointment process, potentially reducing prolonged vacancies.

Mentioning Date: August 31, 2026

Bench: CJI Kant, Justice Bagchi and Justice Mohana