Armed Forces Tribunal

News:The Centre has said that it was willing to appoint former Delhi High Court Chief Justice Rajendra Menon as Chairman of the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT).

Facts:

About Armed forces tribunal:

• Armed Forces Tribunal(AFT) is an Indian military tribunal.It was established as a statutory body in 2009 under the Armed Forces Tribunal Act, 2007.
• The Principal Bench of AFT is in New Delhi.It also has 11 regional benches.

Objective:

• The objective of AFT is to adjudicate complaints on the appointments and conditions of service in respect of persons subject to the (a)Army Act,1950 (b)The Navy Act,1957 and (c)the Air Force Act,1950.
• It can further provide for appeals arising out of the orders of courts martial held under the above-mentioned Acts.

Composition:

• The Composition of Armed Forces Tribunal consists of Judicial Members who are retired High Court Judges. 
• The Administrative Members are retired Members of the Armed Forces who have held the rank of Major General/ equivalent or above for a period of three years or more.

Proceedings:

• The Proceedings of AFT are conducted as per the Armed Forces Tribunal (Procedure) rules,2008.The Tribunal normally follows the procedure as practiced by High Courts of India.
• However,the Paramilitary forces including the Assam Rifles and Coast Guard are outside the tribunal’s purview.