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General Studies 2025 GS Paper II 10 marks 150 words Compulsory Comment

GS Paper II — Q2

Comment on the need of administrative tribunals as compared to the court system. Assess the impact of the recent tribunal reforms…

Comment on the need of administrative tribunals as compared to the court system. Assess the impact of the recent tribunal reforms through rationalization of tribunals made in 2021. (Answer in 150 words) 10 marks

हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें

न्यायालय पद्धति की तुलना में प्रशासनिक अधिकरणों की आवश्यकता पर टिप्पणी कीजिए। 2021 में अधिकरणों के बुद्धिपरक पुनर्गठन द्वारा किए गए नूतन अधिकरण सुधारों के प्रभाव का मूल्यांकन कीजिए। (उत्तर 150 शब्दों में दीजिए)

Q2 of the 2025 UPSC Mains General Studies GS Paper II, as printed
The question as printed in the 2025 General Studies paper
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Model answer

Written by UPSC Answer Check against this question's marking rubric, to the 150-word length. UPSC does not publish answers for Mains — this is one way to score well, not an official key.

Administrative tribunals (Articles 323A and 323B) address the structural limitations of conventional courts by providing domain-specific technical expertise in complex areas like taxation (ITAT), environment (NGT), and military service (AFT). By adopting flexible procedures over rigid civil codes, they deliver speedier, cost-effective justice, significantly de-clogging regular courts.

Impact of 2021 Rationalization

The Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021 abolished nine specialized tribunals (including IPAB) and transferred their jurisdiction to High Courts. While this streamlined administrative costs and eliminated underperforming bodies, it increased capacity strain on an already overburdened judicial system, leading to a loss of specialized adjudication.

Furthermore, provisions prescribing four-year tenures, a 50-year minimum age entry bar, and executive dominance in Search-cum-Selection Committees have raised serious concerns regarding judicial independence, contradicting principles established in the Madras Bar Association cases.

Ultimately, while streamlining tribunal architecture is necessary, true reform requires preserving institutional autonomy and technical specialization rather than shifting pendency back to traditional courts.

What "Comment" is asking you to do

Take a position on the statement and support it. Comment usually attaches to a quoted line in the short slots, so the reasoning must be compressed — an opening view, a few load-bearing reasons, and the limit of the claim.

Structure that answers it

Unpack what the statement asserts → your stance → two or three supporting reasons → the qualification that limits it

Where marks are lost

Neutral summary; a comment without a stance has not answered. Equally costly is accepting the quoted line wholesale and never testing where it fails.

All UPSC directive words, compared →

How this answer will be evaluated

Approach

Framework: GS2 Governance: Administrative Tribunals & Judicial Reforms. comment: context > arguments both sides > judgment > close Full marks: Clear distinction between need and 2021 impact; cites specific rationalization details.

Key points expected

  • Need: Speed, expertise, and cost-effectiveness over regular courts
  • Need: Reducing the burden of the regular judiciary
  • Impact: Rationalization reduces number of tribunals (e.g., 17 to 10)
  • Impact: Consolidation of jurisdiction and improved efficiency

Evaluation rubric

Each sub-part is marked on its own, against the marks and word limit printed on the paper.

  1. The answer Context of tribunals vs courts, arguments for need, and judgment on 2021 reforms.  · 150 words

    comment— context → arguments both sides → judgment → close

    Must cover

    • Need: Speed, expertise, and cost-effectiveness over regular courts
    • Need: Reducing the burden of the regular judiciary
    • Impact: Rationalization reduces number of tribunals (e.g., 17 to 10)
    • Impact: Consolidation of jurisdiction and improved efficiency

    Loses marks

    • Reciting the list of all tribunals without analysis
    • Failing to distinguish between 'need' and 'impact of reforms'
    • Activist tone criticizing the government without legal basis

    Earns more

    • Mention of specific tribunals merged (e.g., Income Tax, Customs)
    • Reference to the 2021 Tribunals Reforms Act
    • Mention of 'Rationalization' as the key mechanism
    • Balanced view on potential challenges (e.g., pendency during transition)

    Extra mark

    • Citing the 2nd ARC recommendation on tribunals
    • Reference to a specific Supreme Court judgment on tribunal powers

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