A quasi-judicial body is a non judicial body which can interpret law. It is an entity such as an arbitrator or tribunal board, generally of a public administrative agency, which has powers and procedures resembling those of a court of law or judge, and which is obliged to objectively determine facts and draw conclusions from them so as to provide the basis of an official action.
Quasi judicial bodies can aid in enhancing the governance mechanisms by
- Providing an expert and multidimensional body to address the various technical issues which would be a daunting task for judiciary due to the complexities.
- Providing a alternate means for dispute resolution.
- Ease of problem solving which is not marred by the technicalities of the judiciary.
- A faster dispute resolution process to make the governance more effective.
- Provide policy suggestions to make the governance more effective.
But the quasi judicial bodies pose the following challenges
- The authority with the executive in the appointments and determining of conditions of service many lead to committed bodies leading to deteriorating governance standards.
- The quasi judicial bodies may lead tribunalisation of justice delivery mechanism leading to diffused justice delivery process impacting the quality of the governance.
Quasi-judicial process can be of great help in strengthening of governance. But it is also necessary to maintain the independence of these bodies so that they can effectively function under their ambit to achieve the objectives.