Inadequacy of infrastructure and staff in NCLAT Chennai: Advocates likely to move to court

Last Updated on February 6, 2024 by News Desk

The Chennai bench of the NCLAT was set up three years back but now it is facing issues over its functioning.

It is claimed by the Corporate Insolvency and Bankruptcy Law Bar Association that the the Chennai bench was not strengthened as it was ensured by the Union ministry of corporate affairs.

The issues that is the center of concern is the lack of members, as there is an acute shortage of both the judicial as well as technical members.

Last year, it was also urged by the tribunal’s chairperson that there should be an appointment of at least one more judicial member, as the present strength stands at just one judicial and one technical member.  

It was also said that the bench had a pendency rate of 9 percent. In 2022 it had alone disposed of 624 cases with Justice Venuogopal as the judicial member and Shreesha Merla as the technical member.

Justice Venugopal used to hear the matter from Delhi through video conferencing and Shreesha Merla used to go to the Chennai office and attend to the matters through the hybrid mode.

Shreesha Merla retired last month, but before that, he had shifted to Chennai from Hyderabad. Justice Venuogopal retired in October 2023 but he was given an extension by the Union government.

When he was not there, RK Jain presided over the issues and when he was away, Justice AB Singh took up the responsibility. After Shreesha Merla retired IRS Officer Ajai Das Mehrotra was appointed

It was said by senior advocate Om Prakash that the arrangement was causing great difficulty.  Another advocate said that at the east two dedicated benches are needed so that things can move smoothly.

Written By:- Shianjany Pradhan (@SHIANJANYPRADHAN)