Understanding Regulatory Episteme as How Regulators See the World
Bhavya Sudhir and Rohith C H
June 2, 2026
I. Abstract
The National Company Law Tribunal has recently conducted a recruitment process for their Law Research Associates (LRA) through a multi-tiered selection process notified in late 2025 for all benches throughout India. The recruitment consisted of three stages process- Preliminary, Mains and Interview. This introduces a competitive evaluation and a merit-based selection for one-year tenure. However, such procedural rigour stands in contrast to the appointment process of Judicial and Technical Members of the Tribunal. Despite the statutory requirements provided in Companies Act, 2013, members are often appointed through service background over domain expertise in insolvency, corporate or financial regulations1. The difference between recruitment strikes a structural imbalance within NCLTs institutional design. The Blog aims to evaluate how merit, transparency and specializations are applied across different hierarchical levels in the NCLT.
II. Draft
The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has recently launched a competitive recruitment for Law Research Associates (LRAs)2 in late 2025, featuring a multi-stage process. This contrasts with the appointment of judicial and technical members, which follows statutory qualifications but is facing ongoing criticism for shortages of members and gaps in expertise.
LRA Recruitment Process
On 22 September 20253, vacancies were floated for the recruitment of Law Research Associates for NCLT Benches located at Ahmedabad, Allahabad, Amravati (Andhra Pradesh), Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Cuttack, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi. While the number of posts was not published, the remuneration, duties, qualification and disqualifications were stated. A separate document with the scheme of examination was published on 16 October, 20254 which covered the selection process of the
examination. It stated that the exam would be held in 3 stages including Preliminary Exam , Descriptive Exam and Interview. The final merit list would be based on the aggregate scores of these 3 stages. This would then lead to the selection of eligible candidates for a tenure of one year in NCLT as Law Research Associates. The role of an LRA is to assist the President/ Members.The new pattern followed for the recruitment for LRAs is much appreciated but it begs the question of the way members of NCLT are recruited and is such scrutiny only for general staff or upper chain hierarchy too.
