Statutory, Regulatory and Quasi-Judicial Authorities

What the official syllabus says

GPSC Main Examination, Paper V: General Studies-II, (B) Governance and Social Justice:

• Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial authorities.

Topics in detail

Concepts

• Statutory body: created by an Act of Parliament or a State legislature
• Regulatory body: sets and enforces rules for a sector
• Quasi-judicial body: decides disputes or imposes penalties with court-like powers but is not a court
• Executive bodies created by resolution (for example, NITI Aayog) compared

Rights and welfare bodies

• National Human Rights Commission and State Human Rights Commissions (Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993)
• National Commission for Women (Act of 1990)
• National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (Commissions for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005)
• National Commission for Minorities (Act of 1992)

Integrity and anti-corruption bodies

• Central Vigilance Commission (CVC Act, 2003)
• Central Bureau of Investigation (Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946)
• Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013
• Central Information Commission and State Information Commissions (Right to Information Act, 2005)

Economic regulators

• Reserve Bank of India (RBI Act, 1934)
• Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI Act, 1992)
• Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDA Act, 1999)
• Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA Act, 2013)
• Competition Commission of India (Competition Act, 2002)
• Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI Act, 1997)
• Central and State Electricity Regulatory Commissions (Electricity Act, 2003)
• Real Estate Regulatory Authorities (RERA Act, 2016)
• Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSS Act, 2006)

Regulators in education and health

• University Grants Commission (UGC Act, 1956)
• All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE Act, 1987)
• National Medical Commission (NMC Act, 2019), which replaced the Medical Council of India

Ombudsman schemes

• Reserve Bank - Integrated Ombudsman Scheme for complaints against banks and other regulated entities
• Insurance Ombudsman

Tribunals and quasi-judicial forums

• Administrative tribunals (Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985): Central Administrative Tribunal and State tribunals
• National Green Tribunal (2010)
• Consumer commissions at district, State and national levels (Consumer Protection Act, 2019)
• Appellate tribunals for securities, telecom and electricity
• Revenue courts and tribunals in the States

Other statutory bodies

• National Disaster Management Authority (Disaster Management Act, 2005)
• Pollution control boards (Water Act, 1974 and Air Act, 1981)
• Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS Act, 2016)
• Delimitation Commission (Delimitation Act, 2002)
• Bodies set up by executive resolution, such as the Law Commission, compared with statutory bodies

Issues

• Independence: appointment, tenure and funding
• Overlap of jurisdiction among regulators
• Delays and vacancies; tribunalisation of justice
• Accountability of regulators to Parliament
• Regulatory design: independence from the ministry, transparent rule-making, appeal to a tribunal or court

Overlaps

Gujarat's statutory and regulatory bodies are listed on Gujarat: Governance, Public Services and e-Governance.