Alok Singh
Following complaints and past controversies, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has introduced measures to improve efficiency at its Chandigarh and Allahabad Benches.
On January 4, 2025, the Joint Registrar issued an order to withdraw Shri Umesh Kumar Shukla (Member, Technical) from hearing cases in Court I & II at the Chandigarh Bench, effective January 6, 2025. Cases in these courts are reassigned to Shri Harnam Singh Thakur (Judicial Member) and Shri Ashish Verma (Technical Member, Allahabad Bench), with Verma participating via video conferencing.
The order cited stakeholder complaints and previous incidents, including a viral video of Shukla’s dispute with a Judicial Member and his refusal to attend tribunal sessions in 2024. Shukla is directed to finalize all reserved cases within ten days in consultation with the Judicial Member without relisting for clarifications.
Under the new schedule, Thakur and Verma will handle Chandigarh cases from Monday to Wednesday, while Verma and Shri Praveen Gupta (Judicial Member) will oversee Allahabad cases on Thursday and Friday. These changes, issued under Rules 5(16)(d), (e), and (f) of the NCLT Rules, 2016, aim to ensure efficient and timely operations.