New Delhi: In a significant administrative move, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has cleared the appointment of nine new members to the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT). The appointments include five Judicial Members – all former High Court judges – and four Administrative Members drawn from top bureaucratic and legal positions in the government.
As per the order, these members have been appointed for a tenure of four years or until they attain the age of 67 years, whichever is earlier.
Judicial Members: Former High Court Judges Join CAT
The following five Judicial Members have been appointed:
- Justice Biren A Vaishnav – Former Judge, Gujarat High Court
- Justice Narendra Kumar Johari – Former Judge, Allahabad High Court
- Justice Navneet Kumar – Former Judge, Jharkhand High Court
- Justice Ritu Tagore – Former Judge, Punjab & Haryana High Court
- Diwakar Singh, ILS – Former Additional Secretary, Department of Legal Affairs, Government of India
While Diwakar Singh is from the Indian Legal Service (ILS), he has been appointed in the Judicial category due to his seniority and experience in legal affairs at the national level.
Administrative Members: Senior Bureaucrats and Technocrats Appointed
The four Administrative Members appointed to CAT bring extensive governance experience from key departments:
- Braj Mohan Agrawal (IRSME:1986) – Former Member (Traction & Rolling Stock), Railway Board
- Manju Pandey (IPoS:1989) – Former Director General Postal Services, Department of Posts
- Sanjiv Kumar (IAS:1992:AGMUT) – Former Additional Chief Secretary-cum-Commissioner (Food & Supplies) and Chairman, DPCC, GNCTD
- Vijoy Kumar Singh (IAS:1990:PB) – Former Special Chief Secretary, Government of Punjab
These appointments are expected to strengthen the CAT’s bench strength, which deals with service-related disputes and complaints of central government employees and employees of public sector undertakings.
About CAT
The Central Administrative Tribunal, established in 1985 under Article 323A of the Constitution, adjudicates service matters of public servants under the central government. The tribunal functions under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and has principal and regional benches across the country.
