NEW DELHI—India’s lower house of parliament passed the Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026, on Monday without debate, as opposition lawmakers protested in the chamber over alleged police action against students who demonstrated against a reported medical entrance examination paper leak.
Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced the legislation earlier on Monday. The bill proposes establishing a National Tribunals Commission to oversee appointments and service conditions for chairpersons and members of tribunals and to provide a common institutional framework for their administration.
Opposition members were raising slogans over the alleged police crackdown on students who had taken part in a July 20 demonstration concerning the reported NEET paper leak. According to the Economic Times, lawmakers who had given notices opposing the bill at its introduction did not speak because of the disruption.
The proposed National Tribunals Commission would be headquartered in New Delhi and consist of a chairperson, two judicial members and two technical members. A retired Supreme Court judge or retired chief justice of a high court would be eligible to head the commission, according to the bill's reported provisions.
The commission would oversee the selection and appointment of tribunal chairpersons and members and provide an institutional framework for their functioning. The legislation also sets out provisions covering qualifications, selection, appointments, salaries and allowances, resignation, removal and other service conditions.
The government introduced the measure after the Supreme Court struck down provisions of the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021. The court had raised concerns relating to the separation of powers and judicial independence and issued directions concerning the appointment and functioning of tribunals, according to the bill's reported background.
The proposed commission follows earlier calls from the Supreme Court for an independent body to oversee tribunals. The Times of India reported that the court had directed the establishment of such a commission in 2018 and reiterated the direction in 2020. In November 2025, the court again pressed the government to establish the body.
The bill would repeal the 2021 Tribunals Reforms Act if enacted, replacing it with the proposed framework governing tribunal appointments and administration.
