Justice (retd) Permod Kohli took over as Chairman of Central Administrative Tribunal

Justice (retd.) Permod Kohli in the first week of April 2016 took over as the Chairman of Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT).
Kohli succeeded Justice Syed Rafat Alam and will be in the office for a period of 5 years or till attaining the age of 68 years, whichever is earlier.
• Born in 1951 in the town of Rajouri, Jammu and Kasmir, he joined Bar at Jammu in 1972.
• He became Advocate General of Jammu & Kashmir in December 1990.
• He is an expert in Constitutional, Civil and Taxation cases
• He remained Legal Advisor to Sri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board and Sri Mata Vaishno Devi University till elevation.
• He as Judge has provided services to the High Courts of Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand and Punjab & Haryana.
• In 2011, he was elevated as the Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court.
• Article 323A of Part 14A of the Indian Constitution provides for establishment of CAT and was inserted by the 42nd Amendment Act, 1976.
• It was constituted in November 1985 under Section 29 of the Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985. It was set up at Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta and Allahabad.
• The CAT is headed by a Chairman who is a sitting or retired Judge of a High Court. Besides the Chairman, the authorized strength consists of 16 Vice-Chairmen and 49 Members.
• The Tribunal follows the principles of natural justice in deciding cases and the procedure, prescribed by Evidence Act or Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) does not apply.
• Now, there are 17 Benches of the Tribunal located throughout the country wherever the seat of a High Court is located, with 33 Division Benches.