New Delhi, Mar 30 (PTI) A total of 44,622 cases were registered with the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) from 2021 to January 2026, with 11,097 — about 24 per cent — cases pending, the government informed Parliament on Monday.
Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth was asked in a query in Rajya Sabha about the total number of cases registered and pending in the AFT during the last five years, and year-wise data on the number of cases disposed during this period.
In his written response, Seth shared data for the cases registered, pending and disposed.
According to the year-wise data shared by him, the number of cases registered in 2021 stood at 7,609 with a pendency of 3,431, while the corresponding figures for 2022 was 8,014 and 2,087.
In 2023, a total of 9,856 cases were registered with the AFT and pending cases had dropped to 534.
In 2024, the number of cases registered and pending stood at 9,837 and 1,844, respectively, according to the data shared. Similarly, in 2025, the number of cases registered and pending stood at 7,921 and 2,795, respectively.
For year 2026 as of January, the number of cases registered stood at 1,385 with a pendency of 406.
The total number of cases registered over this period stood at 44,622, with 11,097 cases pending, the data showed.
The Armed Forces Tribunal was inaugurated in August 2009.
The Armed Forces Tribunal Act 2007, passed by the Parliament, led to the formation of AFT with the power provided for the adjudication or trial of disputes and complaints with respect to commission, appointments, enrolments and conditions of service in respect of persons subject to the Army Act, 1950, the Navy Act, 1957 and the Air Force Act, 1950, according to its website.
It can further provide for appeals arising out of orders, findings or sentences of court-martial held under the said Acts and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto, it said.
The defence ministry was also asked the number of benches of the AFT, sanctioned positions and vacant positions.
According to the data shared, several regional benches — including at Jabalpur, Guwahati and Srinagar (Jammu) — are functioning with two vacant positions each, against the sanctioned position of two each, while other benches at Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kochi, Chennai, and Kolkata have a vacant position each.
The Principal Bench in Delhi does not have any vacant positions, the ministry said. PTI KND KVK KVK
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