Show If Every DRT Has 30 Staff Members: SC To Finance Ministry
The Supreme Court of India has directed the Ministry of Finance to provide an affidavit detailing the staff strength at each of the 39 Debt Recovery Tribunals (DRTs) by January 2, 2025.
This directive came during a hearing concerning the diversion of judicial staff from the DRT in Visakhapatnam to fulfill data collection tasks mandated by the Ministry, which has been affecting tribunal operations and causing delays in pending cases.
Justice Abhay S Oka, part of the bench overseeing the case, questioned whether any DRT actually has 30 staff members, as claimed by the Ministry. He emphasized that the Ministry must establish a proper standard operating procedure for data collection from the tribunals, rather than relying on existing staff who are already overburdened.
The Court expressed dissatisfaction with previous explanations provided by the Ministry and insisted on documented assurances that similar data requisitions would not occur without adequate staffing in place.
The case will be revisited on January 3, 2025, following the submission of the requested affidavit
