India’s top revenue-generating DRT tribunals face vacancies
India’s most revenue‑generating Debts Recovery Tribunals (DRTs) are grappling with severe staffing shortages, especially in presiding‑officer positions, which is paralyzing case disposal and jeopardizing recovery of large‑ticket NPAs.
As of the latest available data 12 Debts Recovery Tribunals (DRTs) are reported to be without presiding officers, meaning those benches are effectively non‑functional due to vacancies.
Nationwide, DRTs are handling roughly 2.5 lakh pending cases involving about ₹16 lakh crore in dues as of late‑2025, with the top‑earning tribunals contributing a disproportionate share of recoveries.
The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Union government on a PIL complaining that roughly one‑third of DRTs are rendered dysfunctional due to lack of presiding officers, flagging violation of the right to timely justice and effective recovery of bank dues.
The Ministry of Finance has meanwhile floated fresh recruitment notifications for Registrars, Assistant Registrars and Recovery Officers in DRATs/DRTs, but the core structural gap in presiding‑officer appointments remains unresolved.
