Minister wanted KAT to stay, cabinet said `no'

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">BANGALORE: Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister D.B. Chandre Gowda is understood to have opposed in the cabinet meeting the proposal to abolish Karnataka Administrative Tribunal (KAT). However, the cabinet went ahead and scrapped it for administrative reasons.<br />Sources told <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">The Times of India</span> that Gowda argued in favour of retaining KAT on the ground that it would prevent thousands of service matters from going to the high court which is already over-burdened by ever increasing number of cases and shortage of judges.<br />``KAT will take nearly 8,000 cases on an average every year which, in its absence, will now go the high court,'''' Gowda is believed to have told the cabinet.<br />The Supreme Court verdict in Chandrakumar v/s the Union of India case in 1997 had favoured setting up a tribunal exclusively to deal with the service matters.``Tribunals will prove a judicious blend of judiciary as well as administration which would help in expediting effective and speedy justice on service matters,'''' the apex court ruled.<br />Gowda quoted this in the cabinet meeting to buttress his argument in favour of retaining KAT.<br />However, the government''s contention is that there is no point in having KAT if its verdict is challenged in the high court. ``Rather than going to KAT first and then to high court, let the employees go to high court directly. At least it will save on expenditure,'''' sources said echoing the cabinet''s thinking.<br />When the KAT verdict is challenged, it comes directly to the division bench of the high court rather than the single judge. If KAT is scrapped and cases are taken directly to high court, it is first taken up by the single judge and then by the divisional bench and later the Supreme Court. ``It will lead to inordinate delay. To avoid this, KAT was conceived,'''' Gowda is believed to have argued. <br />Asked for his comments, Gowda said: ``I firmly believe in the rudimentary principle of parliamentary democracy that the minority will have its say and the majority will have its way. I will go by the cabinet''s unanimous decision which takes precedence over my personal opinion,'''' he added.</div> </div>