VIJAYAWADA: The Circuit Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) commenced operations in Vijayawada on Monday to adjudicate service grievances of Central government employees, including All India Service (AIS) officers, within the jurisdiction of Andhra Pradesh.
The Vijayawada Circuit Bench has been equipped with a courtroom featuring video conferencing facilities, an Advocates’ Bar Room, Government Counsel’s rooms, and various office spaces.
Currently, approximately 1,700 cases are pending within the jurisdiction of Andhra Pradesh, with stakeholders including the Railways, Postal Service, Defence, BSNL, Income Tax, Customs, and AIS officers. The Circuit Bench will operate every third week of the month, starting from Monday.
Judicial member Dr Lata Baswaraj Patne, along with administrative members Varun Sindhu Kul Kaumudi and Shalini Misra, are available for hearings. “We hope that everyone in the legal fraternity will make use of these modern facilities to achieve our shared goal of delivering speedy justice,” said G Naveen Kumar, Registrar of the Vijayawada Circuit Bench.
Under Act 13 of 1985, the Central Administrative Tribunal was established, with its Principal Bench in New Delhi and five regional benches. Currently, there are 19 main benches and 22 circuit benches, covering all the States and Union Territories of India.
The jurisdiction of the CAT has expanded from 84 Central Departments to 219, now including notified Universities, Public Sector Undertakings, and Societies. The CAT Hyderabad Bench was established in 1986 to handle service-related litigation for Central government staff within the jurisdiction of the unified AP.