Administrative Tribunals in Orissa: Mascots of Speedy Justice

With the growth of administrative process in all welfare states, the citizens’ problem of getting quick and efficient decisions on matters affecting their economic life presented a new phenomena of administrative justice. The classical rule of law gave into the concept of administrative tribunals to administer justice on specialised fields. French model of droit administrative with its success story became the basis of the new innovation of administrative tribunals though in slightly different attire. American zeal for administrative law and agencies, British experiment of administrative tribunals made terrible impact on the new nations to import the system of administrative justice, administrative law and administrative tribunals. Working of administrative tribunals in Orissa evoked academic interest of the exponents of "Rule of law" where regular judicial process is mandatory to provide justice to the people. In the context, government by subordinate legislation assumes power to adjudicate the disputes on various matters through administrative tribunals. It is necessary to assess if the administrative courts or administrative tribunals are delivering justice to the aggrieved people. It is important to evaluate whether the administrative law and the administrative tribunals side the individual rights or state authority. The author seeks to provide the answer to the above raised in a different contexts by Lord Hewart’s concern on "New Despotism".