Pariksha SaathiAdjudicatory Board for Major Ports launches e-Filing Portal and releases User Manual at Cochin Port Authority, Kochi
The Adjudicatory Board for Major Ports (ABMP) formally launched its e-Filing Portal and released its User Manual on 29 October 2026 at Cochin Port Authority, Kochi, a milestone in the Board's digital transformation aimed at a transparent, efficient and user-friendly mechanism for filing and managing cases before the Board. The programme was attended by the ABMP's Presiding Officer, Justice Ashish J. Desai, former Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court, and its Members, Chirravuri Viswanath, former Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, and Dr. Sanjeev Ranjan, former Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways; Cochin Port Authority's Deputy Chairperson Satish Honnakkatte was also present, while Praveen P. Nair, Joint Secretary (Ports & PPP) in the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Cochin Port Authority Chairperson Dr. M. Angamuthu and representatives of other Major Port Authorities, PPP concessionaires, port users and other stakeholders took part through video conferencing. The portal has been developed for online filing of cases and the digital processing and management of case-related activities, and its integration with e-Court facilities is intended to support hybrid hearings; the User Manual gives step-by-step guidance on using the portal, and the portal and the Digital Case Management System were demonstrated live. The ABMP was constituted by the Central Government on 13 August 2025 under the Major Port Authorities Act, 2021, to discharge the adjudicatory and other functions assigned to it under the Act. The launch reflects the Board's commitment to using technology to advance digital governance, ease of doing business and efficient dispute resolution in the major ports sector.
Drafted with AI assistance from the official PIB release linked above and checked against it by a second AI pass. Not line-edited by a human.
Learning context
The Major Port Authorities Act, 2021 came into force on 03.11.2021, and its Section 54 envisages the constitution of an Adjudicatory Board to perform the functions stipulated under Section 58 of the Act. In January 2023 the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways notified in the Gazette the Major Ports Adjudicatory Board Rules, 2023, framed under the Act. Under the Rules, the Board consists of a Presiding Officer and two Members: the Presiding Officer is to be a retired Judge of the Supreme Court of India or a retired Chief Justice of a High Court, and the two Members either a retired Chief Secretary of a State Government or equivalent, or a retired Secretary of the Government of India or equivalent. They are appointed on the recommendation of a Selection Committee made up of the Chief Justice of India or his nominee, the Secretary of the Department of Personnel and Training and the Secretary of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. The Ministry said that once the Adjudicatory Board is constituted, the Tariff Authority for Major Ports will cease to exist.
Check yourself: which section of the Major Port Authorities Act, 2021 provides for the Adjudicatory Board, and which body ceases to exist once the Board is constituted?
Section 54; the Tariff Authority for Major Ports.
Revision task: from this release, note what the ABMP launched and released, the date and venue, its Presiding Officer and Members, what the e-Filing Portal is integrated with, and when and under which Act the ABMP was constituted; from the note, when the Act came into force, the sections on the Board, the Rules of 2023, the Board's composition and qualifications, the Selection Committee and the body that ceases to exist.
Test yourself
Under which Act did the Central Government constitute the Adjudicatory Board for Major Ports (ABMP) on 13 August 2025?
Show the answer
Answer: Major Port Authorities Act, 2021
The ABMP was constituted by the Central Government on 13 August 2025 under the Major Port Authorities Act, 2021, to discharge the adjudicatory and other functions assigned to it under the Act. On 29 October 2026, at Cochin Port Authority, Kochi, it launched its e-Filing Portal, whose integration with e-Court facilities is intended to support hybrid hearings, and released a User Manual giving step-by-step guidance on using the portal.
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