New Delhi, March 30 A total of 44,622 cases were registered with the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) from 2021 to January 2026, with 11,097—about 24 percent—cases still pending, the government informed Parliament on Monday.
Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth was asked in a query in the 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 registered, pending, and disposed cases.
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 were 8,014 and 2,087.
In 2023, a total of 9,856 cases were registered with the AFT, and the number of pending cases dropped to 534.
In 2024, the number of registered and pending cases stood at 9,837 and 1,844, respectively, according to the data shared. Similarly, in 2025, the number of registered and pending cases stood at 7,921 and 2,795, respectively.
As of January 2026, the number of registered cases stood at 1,385 with a pendency of 406.
The total number of registered cases over this period stood at 44,622, with 11,097 cases still pending, the data showed.
The Armed Forces Tribunal was inaugurated in August 2009.
The Armed Forces Tribunal Act 2007, passed by Parliament, led to the formation of the AFT, which has the power to adjudicate or try disputes and complaints relating to commissions, appointments, enrolments, and conditions of service for individuals subject to the Army Act, 1950, the Navy Act, 1957, and the Air Force Act, 1950, according to its website.
It can also provide for appeals arising out of orders, findings, or sentences of court-martial held under these Acts, as well as matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
The defence ministry was also asked about the number of benches of the AFT, the sanctioned positions, and the number of vacant positions.
According to the data shared, several regional benches—including those in Jabalpur, Guwahati, and Srinagar (Jammu)—are functioning with two vacant positions each, against a sanctioned position of two each, while other benches at Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kochi, Chennai, and Kolkata have one vacant position each.
The Principal Bench in Delhi does not have any vacant positions, the ministry said.
