VIGILANCE MANUAL VOLUME III - AP Online

838 DECISION - 439
(439)
Administrative Tribunal — jurisdiction of High Court
Jurisdiction of High Court over Administrative Tribunals
analysed.
L. Chandra Kumar vs. Union of India,
1997(2) SLR SC 1
The power of judicial review over legislative action vested in
the High Courts under Art. 226 of the Constitution and in the Supreme
Court under Art. 32 is an integral and essential feature of the
Constitution, constituting part of its basic structure. Ordinarily,
therefore, the power of High Courts and the Supreme Court to test
the constitutional validity of legislations can be never be ousted or
excluded. A situation where the High Courts are divested of all other
judicial functions apart from that of Constitutional interpretation is
equally to be avoided. Cl.2(d) of Art. 323-A and Cl.3(d) of Art. 323-B
to the extent they exclude the jurisdiction of the High Courts and the
Supreme Court under Arts. 226/227 and 32 of the Constitution are
unconstitutional. Sec. 28 of the Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985
and the “exclusion of jurisdiction” clauses in all other legislations
enacted under the aegis of Arts. 323-A and 323-B would to the same
extent be unconstitutional. The jurisdiction conferred on High Courts
and Supreme Court is a part of the inviolable basic structure of the
Constitution. While this jurisdiction cannot be ousted, other Courts
and Tribunals may perform a supplemental role in discharging the
powers conferred by Arts. 226/227 and 32 of the Constitution.
The Tribunals created under Arts. 323-A and 323-B of the
Constitution are possessed of the competence to test the
Constitutional validity of the statutory provisions and rules. All
decisions of these Tribunals will, however, be subject to the scrutiny
before a Division Bench of the High Court within whose jurisdiction
the concerned Tribunal falls. The Tribunals will, nevertheless,
continue to act like Courts of first instance in respect of the area of