In a significant administrative move to strengthen the functioning of the Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT), the Government of India has designated multiple Judicial Members as Vice Presidents for various State Benches across the country.
The appointments were notified through Office Order No. 04/2026 issued by the Ministry of Finance, Department of Revenue. The order has been made under the powers conferred by Section 109(7) of the Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) Act, 2017.
Key Highlights of the GSTAT Vice President Appointments
- The President of India has officially designated Judicial Members as Vice Presidents for respective GSTAT State Benches.
- The move aims to enhance the operational efficiency and regional accessibility of the GST dispute resolution mechanism.
- Each Vice President will oversee tribunal functions in their allotted states and union territories.
List of Key Appointees and Jurisdictions
Some of the notable appointments include:
- Manoj Shankar
- Mayank Kumar Aggarwal
- Syed Arvana Kumar Srivastava - Himachal Pradesh
- Jitendra Kumar Singh - Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh
- Tushar Kant Satapathy - Jharkhand
- Jairam (Punjab & Chandigarh)
- Sanjay Kumar (Uttar Pradesh)
- Gopal Chattopadhyay - West Bengal, Sikkim & Andaman & Nicobar Islands
- Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland & Tripura Bench
- Pradeep Kumar Vyas - Chhattisgarh
- Gunvantlal Manchanddas Patel - Gujarat & Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu
- G. Nagaratna - Karnataka
- Subramanya Viswanatha Rayap - Kerala & Lakshadweep
- Roopesh Chandra Varshney - Madhya Pradesh
- Rajeev Purushottam Pandey - Maharashtra & Goa
- Sucherita Mishra - Odisha
- Praveen Kumar Jain - Tamil Nadu & Puducherry
- Sushil Kumar Sharma - Telangana
Impact on GST Litigation Framework
The designation of Vice Presidents is expected to:
- Accelerate dispute resolution under GST laws
- Reduce backlog of tax appeals
- Strengthen regional tribunal governance
- Improve consistency in appellate rulings
This development comes at a time when GST litigation is increasing, and the operationalization of GSTAT benches is critical for ensuring timely justice for taxpayers.
Click here to view the official copy of the order released by the Finance Ministry
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