The Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021

Legislative History: The Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021 Source: Official Records of Parliament, India Code, and Ministry of Finance (Department of Revenue) Act Title - The Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021 Act Number - Act No. 33 of 2021 Act ID (India Code) - 202133 Presidential Assent Date -August 13, 2021 Enforcement Date - April 4, 2021 (Deemed to have come into force) Nodal Ministry - Ministry of Finance Rationalization of Tribunals and Judicial Backlogs: • The legislative framework traces its roots back to the broader restructuring objective initiated under the Finance Act, 2017, which sought to optimize governance, merge tribunals based on functional similarities, and streamline public grievance adjudication. • Over time, mounting administrative challenges, overlapping jurisdictions, and the need to redistribute appellate workloads away from under-resourced or defunct tribunals toward mainstream judicial institutions (such as High Courts and Commercial Courts) necessitated structural interventions. Legislative Intent and Ordinance Succession: • The Act was formulated to dissolve certain existing appellate tribunals and authorities (such as the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal and the Airports Appellate Tribunal) and transfer their jurisdiction to alternative judicial forums. • It simultaneously sought to standardize service conditions, tenure, and search-cum-selection committee norms for tribunal chairpersons and members, directly succeeding an earlier ordinance promulgated to address administrative adjustments. Parliamentary Trajectory & Enactment • Formulation: Drafted and processed under the aegis of the Ministry of Finance (Department of Revenue) alongside legislative drafting units to restructure appellate tribunals and amend key parent statutes like the Cinematograph Act, 1952, and the Customs Act, 1962. • Parliamentary Passage: Introduced, debated, and passed by both Houses of Parliament (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha) during the monsoon session of August 2021. • Presidential Assent: Received Presidential Assent on August 13, 2021. • Enforcement: Brought into force retrospectively from April 4, 2021, formalizing the dissolution and transfer protocols for targeted national tribunals.