Parliament Question: Need to expand NCLT capacity to expedite IBC cases

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CORPORATE AFFAIRS RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 383 ANSWERED ON TUESDAY, THE 3RD FEBRUARY 2026/ [MAGHA 14, 1947 (SAKA)] NEED TO EXPAND NCLT CAPACITY TO EXPEDITE IBC CASES QUESTION 383. SHRI S NIRANJAN REDDY: Will the Minister of CORPORATE AFFAIRS कॉरपोरेट कार्य मंत्री be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has taken note of the recommendation by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance, in its 28th IBC report (2025), to increase the number of National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) benches to reduce delays in the disposal of cases under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC); (b) the specific steps taken or proposed to improve the functioning of NCLTs, including creation of additional benches, filling of judicial and technical vacancies and strengthening of infrastructure and registry support; and (c) the timeline by which these measures are expected to reduce pendency and improve time-bound resolution of IBC cases? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CORPORATE AFFAIRS; AND MINISTRY OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS (HARSH MALHOTRA) (a) to (c) The benches of National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) are established depending on quantum of workload and other factors. As on date, one Principal Bench and 15 other Benches of NCLT are operational in the country. To facilitate expeditious disposal, Government is taking necessary steps on an ongoing basis, which include implementation of e-court and hybrid court project, regular colloquiums for capacity building of members, provisions of infrastructure, filling up of vacancies, etc. Cases are disposed in the Tribunal as per procedure provided in law and increased pendency cannot be directly attributed to only vacancies. NCLT is a quasi-judicial body. There are several reasons for the pendency of cases in NCLT which, inter-alia includes circumstances and complexity of each case, nature of evidence, number of Interlocutory Applications (IAs), stay by the higher courts, cooperation of stake holders etc. *****