New Delhi, March 10 -- Tribunals were meant to be India's answer to an overburdened judicial system-a fast-track mechanism to resolve disputes efficiently outside the traditional civil court structure. However, the idea of tribunals being a faster and better alternative to court cases has not worked out as expected.

Unless we as a society address its shortcomings, we will only be leaping from the frying pan into the fire: i.e., we would be left with another hurdle in India's already slow-moving justice system.

Tribunals were established to handle exclusive matters requiring specialized knowledge. The rationale was clear: quicker resolution, expert adjudication and a reduced burden on courts. Yet, instead of serving as efficient quasi-ju...