Can HCs decide appeals on CAT Principal Bench orders? Larger Bench to take call

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New Delhi, March 5

Can high courts decide appeals against orders of the Principal Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT)?

Noting that it’s an issue of public importance affecting a large number of government employees, a Bench led by Justice MR Shah has referred it to a larger Bench for an authoritative pronouncement.

“We think its appropriate that the matter involving the issue of territorial jurisdiction of the concerned High Court to decide a challenge to an order passed by the Chairman, CAT, Principal Bench, New Delhi, should be considered by a larger Bench,” said the Bench, which also included Justice BV Nagarathna.

It directed the top court’s Registry to place the matter before the Chief Justice of India for appropriate orders at the earliest so that the issue was resolved at the earliest.

The referral order came on the Centre’s petition against a decision of the Uttarakhand High Court setting aside an order of the Chairman of the CAT Principal Bench.

The CAT Principal Bench had transferred the original application of Indian Forest Service officer Sanjeev Chaturvedi from the Allahabad Bench (Nainital Circuit Bench) to the Principal Bench, New Delhi.