New Delhi

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre and other authorities to respond to a petition seeking timely filling of vacant posts in the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT).

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi agreed to hear the matter and requested Attorney General R. Venkataramani to assist the court. The bench also directed the petitioner’s counsel, representing the Armed Forces Tribunal Bar Association (Regional Bench), to submit a copy of the plea to the Attorney General’s office.

The case has been listed for hearing after two weeks.

The petitioner informed the court that only three of the 11 AFT benches are expected to remain functional by the end of the year if the vacancies are not addressed urgently.

The plea has sought directions to the Centre to complete the selection process and fill all vacant positions in a time-bound manner, in accordance with Section 5 of the Armed Forces Tribunal Act, 2007. This section governs the composition and structure of the tribunal and its benches.

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It has also requested that existing judicial and administrative members of the tribunal be allowed to continue in office, with their consent, until new appointments are made.