India’s journey towards Viksit Bharat is a reform story that matches the potential as well as the aspirations of “We the People of India”. It is not only a story of economic growth, infrastructure and technology. It is equally a journey of institutional reform. As the Indian economy expands, businesses grow, investments increase, and the country strengthens its position in global supply chains, the institutions that support economic activity must also evolve with speed, transparency and credibility. The recently passed Tribunal Reforms Bill, 2026, is an important step in this direction.
The Tribunal Reforms Bill seeks to strengthen the governance architecture of tribunals without altering their substantive jurisdiction. Its central focus is institutional: Improving appointments, governance, transparency, service conditions, independence and efficiency. In that sense, the Bill represents the next stage of a broader reform journey aimed at making India’s legal and regulatory ecosystem more modern, predictable and effective.
Over the last decade, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the nation has witnessed wide-ranging structural reforms. GST transformed indirect taxation; the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code strengthened the insolvency resolution framework; the Jan Vishwas initiative reduced the burden of compliance; Digital India connected governance with technology. The Tribunal Reforms Bill fits naturally into this larger philosophy of “reform, perform and transform”.
The importance of tribunal reform becomes evident when viewed against the needs of a modern economy. Tribunals deal with specialised areas such as taxation, company law, securities and the environment. Their purpose is not to replace constitutional courts but to complement the judicial system by providing specialised adjudication and contributing to speedy and effective justice. A dispute in a growing economy is rarely a mere question of accounting or a legal anomaly. Behind it may lie an entrepreneur’s confidence, an industry’s investment, a business’s future, employment opportunities and the continuity of economic activity. When disputes are resolved in a timely and fair manner, capital can return to productive circulation and confidence in the system is strengthened. Ease of justice and ease of doing business are deeply interconnected.
Articles 323A and 323B of the Constitution laid the foundation for administrative tribunals dealing with service matters and others dealing with specified subjects, recognising the need for specialised mechanisms. Over time, however, the tribunal ecosystem developed across different ministries and departments, leading to variations in practices and multiplicity of procedures. Recognising the need for rationalisation, the Modi government began the process of restructuring tribunals in 2015. The Finance Act, 2017 merged tribunals of a similar nature and reduced their number from 26 to 19, followed by the Tribunal Rules in 2017 and 2020.
Subsequently, the Tribunals Reforms Ordinance, 2021 and the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021 reduced the number of tribunals from 19 to 16; however, several provisions were struck down by the Supreme Court as contrary to judicial independence and separation of powers. The judicial discourse, including the judgments in Rojer Mathew, Madras Bar Association and the Supreme Court’s judgment of November 19, 2025, consistently emphasised that appointments, tenure and service conditions of tribunal members must uphold judicial independence. It is in this context that the Tribunal Reforms Bill, 2026 has been brought forward.
At the core of the Bill is the proposed National Tribunals Commission (NTC). The NTC will bring 16 tribunals under its umbrella, creating a common framework for their governance and administration. It is proposed to be headed by a former Supreme Court judge or a former chief justice of a high court, supported by two judicial members and two technical members.
The Bill aims to make the appointment process more transparent, structured, merit-based and independent. A dedicated NTC Secretariat is also proposed, supporting the objective of uniform governance. Importantly, the Bill does not change the substantive jurisdiction of individual tribunals. Their jurisdiction will continue to be determined by their respective parent statutes. This distinction is central to understanding the reform.
As India moves towards Viksit Bharat @2047 and accelerates the Reform Express, the spirit of reform must extend to every institution that contributes to national development. Strong institutions inspire confidence; confidence drives investment; investment fuels growth; and effective justice ensures that this virtuous cycle remains anchored in the rule of law. The Tribunal Reforms Bill, 2026 is an important step towards strengthening this cycle.
The writer is Union Minister of State (I/C) for Law & Justice and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs
