Competent authority directed to decide pending administrative representation via a reasoned order within a fixed timeline.

The applicant was appointed as a Station Master in the Southern Railway on 12-12-2022.

In January 2024, while on leave, he was diagnosed with kidney failure and subsequently underwent a renal transplant on 29-06-2024.

Upon reporting for duty in December 2024, he was subjected to a Railway Medical Board examination.

Following a Show Cause Notice dated 30-09-2025, his services were terminated on 02-12-2025.

The applicant filed an administrative appeal/representation against the termination on 16-12-2025.

Seeking the disposal of this representation, he approached the Tribunal and filed a Miscellaneous Application (MA) to waive the mandatory six-month waiting period for filing an Original Application (OA).

1. Whether the mandatory six-month waiting period for filing an Original Application under the Administrative Tribunals Act should be waived.

2. Whether the respondent authority should be directed to dispose of the applicant's pending representation dated 16-12-2025 within a specified timeframe.

The Tribunal applied the procedural rules governing the exhaustion of alternative remedies and the waiver of the statutory waiting period (typically under Section 20 of the Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985).

It further relied on the principle that the interest of justice is served by directing administrative authorities to pass "speaking and well-reasoned orders" on pending representations within a fixed duration, especially when the merits of the case are not being adjudicated by the court at that stage.

The Tribunal noted that the applicant’s appeal against his termination had been pending before the Divisional Railway Manager since December 2025 without disposal.

Given that the applicant sought the limited relief of having his representation considered, the Tribunal found it unnecessary to delve into the merits of the termination or the medical board's findings.

The Tribunal determined that allowing the MA to waive the waiting period was justified to prevent further delay in the administrative process.

By directing a time-bound disposal, the Tribunal balanced the applicant's need for a speedy resolution with the respondent’s authority to first decide the matter at the departmental level.

It disposed of the OA at the admission stage by directing the Competent Authority to consider the applicant’s representation dated 16-12-2025 and pass a speaking and well-reasoned order within three months of receiving the order copy.

The Tribunal explicitly stated it was not entering into the merits of the case.