“The Central Administrative Tribunal which was established for redressal of grievances and complaints by or against central government employees, nowadays is exercising its powers as an independent judicial authority.” Explain.

The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), set up in 1985 under the Administrative Tribunals Act enacted pursuant to Article 323-A, was conceived as a specialised forum for service disputes of central government employees — quick, inexpensive relief that would also decongest the courts. Over time it has matured into a genuinely judicial authority.

How CAT functions as an independent judicial authority

• Judicial composition and stature: it is headed by a sitting or retired High Court judge, with judicial and administrative members appointed through a high-level selection process.
• In S.P. Sampath Kumar v Union of India (1987), the Supreme Court upheld it as an effective institutional substitute for High Courts in service matters.
• It adjudicates violations of Articles 14, 16 and 311, and can strike down service rules inconsistent with fundamental rights — a substantive power of judicial review, though it cannot examine the vires of its own parent statute.
• It exercises contempt powers (Section 17) like a High Court, and is not bound by the Civil Procedure Code, being guided instead by principles of natural justice.
• After L. Chandra Kumar (1997), it functions as the court of first instance for service matters, its orders reviewable by High Court Division Benches under Articles 226/227 — placing it firmly inside the judicial hierarchy.

CAT has thus evolved from a departmental-style grievance body into an independent adjudicator operating within the constitutional scheme of judicial review.