But the most sweeping changes related to eight autonomous tribunals which were merged with other tribunals, and which also gave the government the power to appoint and remove the members in another 17 such bodies. Read | Lok Sabha passes Finance Bill, Aadhaar now mandatory for filing tax returnsIn some cases, the mergers appeared incongruous. For example, the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority Appellate Tribunal was merged into the Telecom Dispute Settlements and Appellate Tribunal. The government defended its decision, saying reducing the number of tribunals will speed up dispute resolution and curb wasteful expenditure. The government move also appeared to contravene a 2014 Supreme Court order that held appointments to appellate tribunals must be free of executive interference.

Source: Hindustan Times March 23, 2017 01:39 UTC