Latest news with #TribunalsReformsAct
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Producers of Rajinikanth starrer Coolie approach Madras High Court against ‘A' certification
Sun TV Network Limited has approached the Madras High Court against the grant of 'A' certificate by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to Rajinikanth-starrer Coolie, thereby making it impermissible for those below 18 years of age to watch the movie in cinema theatres. Justice T.V. Thamilselvi on Tuesday (August 19, 2025) held as maintainable a civil miscellaneous appeal filed by the production firm against the CBFC's decision and directed the High Court Registry to number the case and list it for admission before her on Wednesday (August 20, 2025). The High Court Registry had doubted the maintainability of the appeal and listed the unnumbered case before the judge on Tuesday for taking a call on the matter. Central government senior panel counsel A. Kumaraguru, too, contended that the appeal was not maintainable. However, senior counsel J. Ravindran, assisted by M. Sneha, convinced the court that the denial of U/A certificate to the movie by the CBFC could be challenged before the High Court by way of a civil appeal since a tribunal, constituted under the Cinematograph Act, 1952, had been abolished. The senior counsel pointed out that Section 5C of the Cinematograph Act states that any person who applies for certificate in respect of a film and aggrieved against the issuance of a particular certificate could file an appeal before the tribunal constituted under the Act within a period of 30 days. He also brought it to the notice of the judge that as per the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021, appeals could be filed directly before the High Court, if the tribunal concerned had been abolished. Concurring with his submissions, the judge agreed to hear the appeal on Wednesday after it was numbered. In its grounds of appeal, the production firm said it had produced Coolie in order to celebrate Mr. Rajinikanth's completion of 50 years in the film industry and the movie had become a 'mega blockbuster' owing to its pan-India star-cast comprising Nagarjuna Akkineni, Aamir Khan, and others. Stating that it had applied for CBFC certification for the movie on July 28, 2025, the production firm said it was shocked to receive an e-mail from the board on July 31, 2025, stating that the screening committee had found the movie to be celebrating violence and therefore, agreed to issue only a 'A' certificate. When the appellant requested for a review by the revising committee, the latter, too, ended up issuing only an 'A' certificate on August 4, 2025. Since the movie had to be released on August 14, 2025, owing to the booking of theatres worldwide, the producers chose to release it and then challenge the certification. Stating that Rajinikanth has fans cutting across age groups around the world and men, women and children were eagerly waiting for the release of Coolie in order to celebrate the 50 years of his cinematic journey, the appellant said all those below 18 years of age had now been deprived of a chance to take part in the celebration. The production firm also told the court that the CBFC had issued U/A certificates for movies such as Yash-starrer KGF and Vijay-starrer Beast, but had surprisingly chosen to issue a 'A' certificate for Coolie, though it does not contain as much violence as the other two movies.
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Business Standard
25-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
CII urges govt to establish centralised oversight mechanism for tribunals
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has urged the government to establish a centralised oversight mechanism for tribunals, emphasising the need for uniformity, policy coherence, and enhanced performance across these crucial adjudicatory bodies. Calling for amendments to the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021, the CII said there was a need to provide a robust statutory foundation for such a mechanism. Despite handling a significant caseload in critical domains such as taxation, environment, and labour, tribunals currently operate under fragmented administrative controls across various ministries, resulting in functional inconsistencies and a lack of standardisation, the CII pointed out. 'A key concern for tribunals is the absence of real-time performance statistics, which limits the scope for undertaking evidence-based reforms. In contrast, such statistics are readily available for the entire court system of the country on the 'National Judicial Data Grid', maintained by the e-Committee of the Supreme Court,' the policy advocacy body said. A central oversight body could be tasked with key responsibilities such as performance monitoring, data tracking, coordination with search-cum-selection committees, capacity building, and independent grievance redressal, the CII said, adding that this institution should be backed by appropriate legal amendments defining its structure, scope, and mandate. Currently, over 16 central tribunals operate under different ministries, adjudicating disputes across sectors integral to economic governance and the rule of law. For instance, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) plays a central role in implementing the Companies Act, 2013, and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016—both crucial to corporate debt resolution and investor confidence, the release said. Citing a staggering ₹6.7 trillion in tax disputes pending before the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) as of 31 December 2024—amounting to nearly 57 per cent of all litigated direct tax claims—the CII stressed that improving tribunal efficiency could unlock substantial fiscal resources and boost the ease of doing business. While acknowledging that the government has taken steps through the Tribunal Reforms Act, 2021, CII noted that challenges such as persistent vacancies, delayed appointments, inadequate infrastructure, and the absence of systematic performance tracking continue to plague the system. To reinforce its proposal, CII referred to multiple Supreme Court judgments and expert recommendations, including the 272nd Report of the Law Commission of India (2017). The idea of a centralised tribunal oversight body was first endorsed by the Supreme Court in L. Chandra Kumar v. Union of India (1997), and reiterated in Madras Bar Association v. Union of India (2020), where the Court directed the Centre to establish a National Tribunals Commission, the body said. 'A centralised oversight institution would be a transformational step in making India's justice delivery system more efficient, responsive, and future-ready,' CII concluded, noting that such a move would significantly enhance regulatory credibility, investor confidence, and economic governance.
Mint
25-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
Make tribunals efficient to free up disputed funds: Industry body
India should set up a centralised oversight mechanism to improve the functioning of quasi-judicial tribunals and unlock huge funds tied up in unresolved disputes, the Confederation of Indian Industry said. CII said in a statement on Sunday that the efficiency of tribunals adjudicating on important areas such as labour, environment, and taxation is critical for improving the overall ease of doing business. As of the end of December 2024, ₹ 6.7 trillion was pending resolution at the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) alone, accounting for nearly 57% of all the disputed direct tax amount in the country, the industry body said, pitching for a centralised oversight mechanism for tribunals. Such a mechanism would ensure uniformity, policy coherence, and improvement in tribunals' overall performance, the industry body said. CII suggested that to put this in place, suitable amendments may be introduced in the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021, defining its mandate, structure, scope, and responsibilities. This central body could undertake functions like performance monitoring, data tracking, coordination with the search-cum-selection committees, capacity building, and independent grievance redressal. The industry body also said administrative control of tribunals is fragmented across various ministries and departments, leading to a lack of standardisation and functional inconsistencies. A key concern for tribunals is the absence of real-time performance statistics, which limits the scope for undertaking evidence-based reforms. In contrast, such information is readily available for the entire court system of the country on the 'National Judicial Data Grid', maintained by the e-committee of the Supreme Court, CII said. Tribunals are quasi-judicial bodies designed to adjudicate disputes in specific disciplines, such as taxation, company law, environmental regulation, and public service matters. Today, over 16 central tribunals operate under different ministries across key sectors. While the government has sought to address challenges through the Tribunal Reforms Act, 2021, constraints such as persistent vacancies, delayed appointments, inadequate infrastructure, lack of performance monitoring, and ineffective grievance redressal mechanisms continue to undermine tribunals' effectiveness and efficiency, CII said. Setting up a centralised oversight institution for tribunals would be a transformative step towards making India's justice delivery system more responsive, efficient, and future-ready, directly contributing to boosting regulatory credibility, improving ease of doing business and enhancing investors' confidence, CII stated.
Hans India
25-05-2025
- Business
- Hans India
CII urges Govt to set up centralised oversight mechanism for tribunals
Apex business chamber CII has urged the Government to set up a centralised oversight mechanism to ensure uniformity, policy coherence, and improvement in the overall performance of tribunals that adjudicate a large volume of cases in critical areas such as labour, environment, and taxes. In a research note released on Sunday, CII (Confederation of Indian Industry) suggested that suitable amendments may be introduced in the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021, to provide legislative backing to this exercise. "Such a central body could undertake functions like performance monitoring, data tracking, coordination with the search-cum-selection committees, capacity building, and independent grievance redressal," the note said. According to CII, enhancing the efficiency of tribunals is critical for unlocking substantial fiscal resources tied up in disputes and improving the overall ease of doing business. For instance, as of December 31, 2024, Rs 6.7 trillion was pending resolution at the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) alone, which constituted nearly 57 per cent of all ligated direct taxes amount in the country. Such a high figure highlights the magnitude of matters being adjudicated by tribunals, and the far-reaching implications on investment climate and economic growth. CII said that the administrative control of tribunals is currently fragmented across various ministries and departments, leading to a lack of standardisation and functional inconsistencies. A key concern for tribunals is the absence of real-time performance statistics, which limits the scope for undertaking evidence-based reforms. In contrast, such statistics are readily available for the entire court system of the country on the 'National Judicial Data Grid', maintained by the e-committee of the Supreme Court. Tribunals are quasi-judicial bodies designed to adjudicate domain-specific disputes, in areas like taxation, company law, environmental regulation and public service matters, among others. Originally envisioned as a complement to the conventional court system, tribunals aim to ease the burden on the judiciary while enabling faster, expert-led adjudication in technically complex matters, the note said. Today, over 16 central tribunals operate under different ministries across key sectors of the economy. These bodies directly impact the rule of law, economic governance, and ease of doing business. For example, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) plays a pivotal role in the implementation of the Companies Act, 2013 and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016, central to corporate debt resolution, investor confidence, and financial stability, the note observed. CII has also cited several Supreme Court judgments and expert recommendations, including the 272nd Report of the Law Commission of India (2017), all of which advocate for the creation of a centralised oversight mechanism for tribunals. Establishing a centralised oversight institution for tribunals would be a transformational step towards making India's justice delivery system more responsive, efficient, and future-ready, directly contributing to boosting regulatory credibility, improving ease of doing business and enhancing investors' confidence, the CII added.
Business Standard
25-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
CII bats for central oversight body to reform India's tribunal system
Establishing a centralised oversight institution for tribunals would significantly enhance India's justice delivery system, making it more responsive and efficient, industry body CII said on Sunday. This move would also boost regulatory credibility, improve ease of doing business, and increase investor confidence, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) added. To provide legislative backing to this exercise, suitable amendments may be introduced in the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021, defining the mandate, structure, scope, and responsibilities, according to CII. Such a central body could undertake functions like performance monitoring, data tracking, coordination with the Search-Cum-Selection Committees, capacity building, and independent grievance redressal, it suggested. The industry lobby argued that the administrative control of tribunals is currently fragmented across various ministries and departments, leading to a lack of standardisation and functional inconsistencies. Enhancing the efficiency of tribunals is critical for unlocking substantial fiscal resources tied up in disputes and improving the overall ease of doing business. For instance, as of December 31, 2024, Rs 6.7 trillion was pending resolution at the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) alone, which constituted nearly 57 per cent of all ligated direct taxes amount in the country, it noted. Such a high figure highlights the magnitude of matters being adjudicated by tribunals, and the far-reaching implications on investment climate and economic growth, the industry body said. "While the government has sought to address challenges through the Tribunal Reforms Act, 2021, constraints such as persistent vacancies, delayed appointments, inadequate infrastructure, lack of performance monitoring, and ineffective grievance redressal mechanism continue to undermine tribunals' effectiveness and efficiency," it noted. Tribunals are quasi-judicial bodies designed to adjudicate domain-specific disputes in areas like taxation, company law, environmental regulation and public service matters, among others. Originally envisioned as a complement to the conventional court system, tribunals aim to ease the burden on the judiciary while enabling faster, expert-led adjudication in technically complex matters. Today, over 16 central tribunals operate under different ministries across key sectors of the economy. These bodies directly impact the rule of law, economic governance, and ease of doing business. For example, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) plays a pivotal role in the implementation of the Companies Act, 2013, and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016, central to corporate debt resolution, investor confidence, and financial stability. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
