Centre Abolishes Odisha Administrative Tribunal

Cuttack: The Centre, through a gazette notification, has abolished the Odisha State Administrative Tribunal (SAT).

Apart from this, it has also cancelled its earlier notification on the formation of the Odisha SAT dated July 4, 1986.

According to the notification issued on Monday, the Odisha SAT has been abolished under Section 4(2) of the Administrative Tribunal Act, 1985 and Section 21of the General Clauses Act.

Notably, the Odisha SAT was set up on July 14, 1986. Later, the Odisha Cabinet in a meeting on September 9, 2015, decided to abolish the tribunal. The state government later placed a proposal to this effect before the Orissa High Court. Following the recommendation of the High Court, the Centre abolished the tribunal.

Protesting against the abolition of the Tribunal, president of the Cuttack SAT Bar Association, Dhuliram Patnaik on Tuesday said that the Association has filed a writ petition in the High Court challenging the notification.

“While about 70,000 cases are pending in the SAT for disposal and Justice KR Mahapatra hearing those cases, the Central notification for the abolition of the Tribunal is grossly illegal,” he added.