Section 252:
Appellate Tribunal.
(1) The Central Government shall constitute an Appellate Tribunal
consisting of as many judicial and accountant members as it thinks fit to exercise the powers and
discharge the functions conferred on the Appellate Tribunal by this Act.
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(2) A judicial member shall be a person who has for at least ten years held a judicial office in the
territory of India or who has been a member of the 2
Indian Legal Service and has held a post in
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Grade II of that Service or any equivalent or higher post for at least three years or who has been an
advocate for at least ten years.
Explanation.—For the purposes of this sub-section,—
(i) in computing the period during which a person has held judicial office in the territory of India,
there shall be included any period, after he has held any judicial office, during which the person has
been an advocate or has held the office of a member of a Tribunal or any post, under the Union or a
State, requiring special knowledge of law;
(ii) in computing the period during which a person has been an advocate, there shall be included
any period during which the person has held judicial office or the office of a member of a Tribunal or
any post, under the Union or a State, requiring special knowledge of law after he became an advocate.
(2A) An accountant member shall be a person who has for at least ten years been in the practice of
accountancy as a chartered accountant under the Chartered Accountants Act, 1949 (38 of 1949), or as a
registered accountant under any law formerly in force or partly as a registered accountant and partly as a
chartered accountant, or who has been a member of the Indian Income-tax Service, Group A and has held
the post of 4
Additional Commissioner of Income-tax or any equivalent or higher post for at least three
years.
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(3) The Central Government shall appoint—
(a) a person who is a sitting or retired Judge of a High Court and who has completed not less than
seven years of service as a Judge in a High Court; or
(b) 6
*** one of the Vice-Presidents of the Appellate Tribunal,
to be the President thereof.
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(4) The Central Government may appoint one or more members of the Appellate Tribunal to be the
Vice-President or, as the case may be, Vice-Presidents thereof.
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* * * * *
(5) 9
The 10
*** Vice-President shall exercise such of the powers and perform such of the functions of
the President as may be delegated to him by the President by a general or special order in writing.
Notes:
1. Subs. by Act 16 of 1981, s. 18, for sub-section (2) (w.e.f. 1-4-1981).
2. Subs. by Act 21 of 1998, s. 51, for “Central Legal Service” (w.e.f. 1-8-1998).
3. Subs. by s. 51, ibid., for “Grade I” (w.e.f. 1-8-1998).
4. Subs. by Act 21 of 1998, s. 51, for “Commissioner of Income-tax” (w.e.f. 1-8-1998).
5Subs. by Act 17 of 2013, s. 56, for sub-section (3) (w.e.f. 1-6-2013).
6. The words “the Senior Vice-President or” omitted by Act 28 of 2016, s. 94 (w.e.f. 1-6-2016).
7. Ins. by Act 16 of 1972, s. 40 (w.e.f. 1-4-1972).
8. Sub-section (4A) omitted by Act 28 of 2016, s. 94 (w.e.f. 1-6-2016). Which was inserted by Act 21 of 1984, s. 24
(w.e.f.1-4-1984).
9. Subs. by Act 21 of 1984, s. 24, for “A Vice-President” (w.e.f. 1-4-1984).
10. The words “Senior Vice-President or a” omitted by Act 28 of 2016, s. 94 (w.e.f. 1-6-2016)