No applicants, two posts of SAT Member to be re-advertised

Shimla, August 21

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The reinstatement of the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) can take longer than expected as no candidate has applied for the two posts of Member (Administration), which are now being re-advertised.

The situation has arisen as no candidate applied for the two posts of Member advertised earlier. While many retired bureaucrats and some nearing superannuation are keen to get post-retirement employment, none has applied for the posts.

The deadline to apply for the two posts in SAT has now been fixed as September 17, after which the Search and Selection Committee will make the final selection. It is only after the selection that SAT can become functional.

Sources say that the Selection Committee, headed by the Chief Justice of the High Court of Himachal, has already finalised the names of the candidates for appointment as the Chairman and a Judicial Member of SAT. The finalised names will now be sent to the Department of Personnel and Training of the Central Government for approval.

The previous BJP government had scrapped SAT on July 3, 2019, on the plea that poor disposal of cases was resulting in huge pendency and there was a big question mark on the impartiality of SAT. However, the present Cabinet headed by Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had on November 18, 2023, decided to reinstate SAT, as was promised in the Congress’ election manifesto.

The previous BJP governments had scrapped SAT twice while the Congress government was reinstating it for the second time. Himachal was amongst the first states to set up SAT to facilitate employees to seek easy legal recourse to their problems.

The Virbhadra Singh-led Congress government had set up SAT in 1986 but the BJP government later wound it up for the first time in July 2008. The Congress government of Virbhadra Singh again revived SAT on February 28, 2015, but the BJP government of Jai Ram Thakur scrapped it again on July 3, 2019.

Set up by Cong govt

• The Virbhadra Singh-led Congress government had set up SAT in 1986 but the BJP government later wound it up for the first time in July 2008
• The Congress government of Virbhadra Singh again revived SAT on February 28, 2015, but the BJP government of Jai Ram Thakur scrapped it again on July 3, 2019