In short. Central employees, pensioners and job candidates in roughly sixty Uttar Pradesh districts take their service disputes to one place: the Allahabad Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal at Prayagraj. Fifteen districts around Lucknow are carved out for the Lucknow Bench; everything else, from Ghaziabad and Agra to Varanasi and Gorakhpur, stays here. A contested case usually lasts a year or more, often up to three. First confirm your bench, then count your one-year limit, then file. We are a private law firm; the tribunal has no part in this page.
Is this your situation?
- Your central office is in Kanpur, Agra, Jhansi, Varanasi, Bareilly or another UP city outside the Lucknow belt.
- You retired from a central department and have settled in a UP district such as Mathura, Aligarh or Ghaziabad.
- The order that hurt you was signed at a headquarters in Prayagraj, for example the North Central Railway or the Accountant General.
- Nobody has told you clearly whether your district goes to Prayagraj, Lucknow or New Delhi.
- A central recruiting body rejected you and the office concerned, or your home, is in western or eastern UP.
- The Allahabad Bench has already ruled on your case and you are wondering about the High Court.
- Prayagraj is a long journey for you and you wonder how much of the case can happen online.
Which districts file at Prayagraj and which go to Lucknow
Start with the Lucknow list, because it is shorter. Fifteen districts file at the Lucknow Bench: Lucknow, Unnao, Hardoi, Sitapur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Bahraich, Shravasti, Balrampur, Gonda, Barabanki, Ayodhya (formerly Faizabad), Ambedkar Nagar, Sultanpur, Pratapgarh and Rae Bareli. If your district is not on that list and is in Uttar Pradesh, your bench is Prayagraj. That takes in Saharanpur and Ghaziabad at the western edge, Ballia and Deoria in the east, Jhansi and Lalitpur in Bundelkhand and Pilibhit along the Nepal border.
The state now has seventy-five districts, so about sixty of them come to Prayagraj. A few districts are newer than the original allocation. Amethi is the usual puzzle, since it was formed in large part by taking territory from Sultanpur and Rae Bareli, which are both on the Lucknow list. If you are posted in a district like that, look at the latest notification on cgat.gov.in or ring the Prayagraj registry before filing. A case returned for want of jurisdiction can lose you months.
The online table of benches still prints Uttaranchal against Allahabad. Ignore that line. Uttarakhand was shifted to the Principal Bench in New Delhi by a notification dated 18 July 2023, so fresh cases from Dehradun, Haridwar, Haldwani and the hill districts are filed there. Readers from that state should go to our page on Dehradun and Uttarakhand service cases.
So that there is no confusion: we are B.K. Singh & Associates, a private firm of advocates, and this site is ours. The tribunal has no connection with it. For official cause lists, notices and the bench table, the tribunal's own website at cgat.gov.in is where you should check.
Districts that people often place at the wrong bench
- Pratapgarh. It borders Prayagraj and most people assume it files there. It is in fact one of the fifteen Lucknow districts.
- Kanpur Nagar and Kanpur Dehat. Kanpur is nearer Lucknow by road, yet both Kanpur districts belong to Prayagraj. With the big defence production workforce in Kanpur, this mistake comes up often.
- Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddh Nagar. In daily life these are Delhi suburbs. In the tribunal's map they are Allahabad districts, and Delhi comes in only through the specific routes described below.
- Sultanpur and Barabanki. Lucknow districts both. A postal assistant at a Sultanpur sub post office who files at Prayagraj out of habit may see the papers returned.
- Uttarakhand. Shifted out in July 2023 and now with New Delhi. Older judgments and many websites still describe it as part of this bench.
- Mathura and Agra. Both stay with Prayagraj, which is a hard journey from the Braj area. Online filing and video hearings matter most for people here.
The rules that decide your bench
Rule 6(1), CAT (Procedure) Rules, 1987
Two connecting factors give a bench jurisdiction over a serving employee: the place where you are posted on the day you file, and any place where some part of the cause of action arose. A ticket examiner posted at Moradabad therefore files at Prayagraj. If his punishment order had been signed by an officer sitting in Delhi, the Principal Bench would also have a claim, since a slice of the dispute happened there.
There is a proviso. With the Chairman's permission, an application can be presented at the Principal Bench. That is a permission, not an option you pick for convenience, and the matter is still heard by whichever bench is competent unless a Section 25 order says otherwise.
Rule 6(2), CAT (Procedure) Rules, 1987
Once your service has ended, whether through retirement, dismissal or termination, you get an extra choice: the bench for the place where you normally live when you file. A pensioner who retired from the Gorakhpur headquarters of the North Eastern Railway and has moved in with his son in Agra can use Prayagraj on either footing. Had he moved to Rohini in Delhi, Copernicus Marg would open up as well.
Sections 19 and 21, Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985
Section 19 is the door into the tribunal: a person hurt by an order in a service matter applies by way of an Original Application. Section 21 shuts that door after a year. The year runs from the final order, or, if you appealed or represented and heard nothing, from the day the six-month waiting period ended. After that you need to explain the delay and ask the bench to condone it.
Section 25, Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985
The Chairman can move a case from one bench to another, either because a party asks or on his own motion. This is the right tool when your case is correctly filed but there is a solid reason it should be heard somewhere else. The page on Section 25 bench transfer petitions covers how such requests are framed.
Central offices inside the Allahabad Bench area
Railways keep this bench busier than any other department. Prayagraj is home to the North Central Railway's zonal headquarters, and its three divisions at Prayagraj, Agra and Jhansi are all within the bench's area. Gorakhpur houses the North Eastern Railway's headquarters, and its Varanasi and Izzatnagar divisions also come here, as do the Northern Railway's Moradabad division and the locomotive works at Varanasi. Running allowance, medical decategorisation, seniority after cadre mergers and pension under the 2026 railway pension rules are routine subjects at Prayagraj. The departmental side is covered on our page on railway employees' service cases.
Kanpur comes next. Its ordnance factories, and the one at Muradnagar in Ghaziabad district, became defence public sector companies in October 2021, and the staff who moved were placed on deemed deputation. Whether a given grievance now goes to the tribunal or to the High Court depends on what it is about and when it arose, and our page on ordnance and defence production employees sorts that out.
Then there is a long tail. The Accountant General's offices in Prayagraj carry a large audit and accounts cadre. Postal divisions run across every district. Customs and GST commissionerates sit in Kanpur, Agra, Meerut, Noida and Ghaziabad, alongside income tax offices. Military Engineer Services units serve the cantonments at Meerut, Agra, Bareilly and Prayagraj, and Air Force stations employ civilian staff. Kendriya Vidyalaya teachers, and scientists at agricultural research institutes like the veterinary institute at Izatnagar, complete the picture. A Gramin Dak Sevak in a branch office in Ballia and a senior auditor in Prayagraj end up at the same bench.
Working in UP but not under this tribunal
Having your desk in Uttar Pradesh does not make you a client of the Allahabad Bench. Soldiers, sailors and airmen use the Armed Forces Tribunal for service complaints. Men and women of the central armed police forces (CRPF, BSF, ITBP, SSB and CISF), including those at the battalion and group centre campuses scattered across UP, must approach the High Court in its writ jurisdiction, because the Act does not reach these forces. See our page on writs for CAPF, PSU and bank staff.
Staff of public sector companies, such as the oil refinery at Mathura, and of nationalised banks are in the same position: High Court, unless the company has been brought under the tribunal by a Section 14(2) notification, which is rare. The central universities at Varanasi, Prayagraj and Aligarh are generally outside the tribunal as well. People employed by the Uttar Pradesh government, such as basic school teachers or staff of a development authority, are state employees; their forum is the State Public Services Tribunal at Lucknow or the High Court.
Look at who employs you, not at the building you work in. Our guide on checking a Section 14(2) notification shows how to confirm whether your organisation has been brought under CAT.
Filing an Original Application at the Allahabad Bench from your district
The procedure is the same as at every bench. The differences here are distance, records kept in Hindi, and the need for someone on the ground in Prayagraj.
Settle the bench on paper
Jot down three things: your posting today, the office that signed the order, and, if you have retired, your present address. Rule 6 works from those facts. When two benches qualify, choose the practical one now, before a word of the application is typed.
Count the year
Mark the date of the final order, or of your appeal or representation if no reply came. Add a year under Section 21. If that date is behind you, the delay application deserves as much effort as the main grounds.
Gather records and arrange translations
Service books, charge memos and office orders in UP are often written in Hindi. The registry can ask for English versions of documents you rely on, so start translations early. Readable copies of every order under challenge are a must.
Prepare the application and paper book
The OA sets out the story, the impugned order, the legal grounds and what you want the tribunal to do, supported by a chronology and an index, with annexures numbered and paged. Advocate B.K. Singh writes the chronology before anything else, since a tidy list of dates exposes a limitation or forum problem straight away.
Present it online or at the counter
You can upload the OA on the tribunal's e-filing portal or hand it in at the Prayagraj registry. Pay the fee, sign the vakalatnama and the verification, and note the diary number. Any defects raised in scrutiny need curing within the period allowed.
First listing and notice
When the case first comes up, the bench decides whether the department must answer and whether some protection is needed meanwhile. Notice usually reaches the department through its standing counsel at Prayagraj.
Counter, rejoinder and the long wait
The department answers with a counter affidavit, and you respond in a rejoinder. Then the case joins the queue for final arguments, which can take several dates. If the department passes a fresh order while the case is pending, tell your counsel at once, because the application may need amending.
Getting the order obeyed
Obtain a certified copy of the final order and send it to the department asking for compliance within the time fixed. If nothing happens, the same bench can hear a contempt petition under Section 17.
Our page on preparing a Section 19 Original Application takes each part of the document in turn.
Time and cost at the Allahabad Bench
| Stage | How long it tends to take | Outgoings, in general terms |
|---|---|---|
| Appeal or representation inside the department | Appeal within 45 days under Rule 23 of the CCS (CCA) Rules; you normally wait up to six months for an answer | Speed post and photocopies |
| Preparing and filing the OA | Two to six weeks after all papers are with the lawyer | The tribunal fee is small and fixed (Rs 50 under Rule 7; confirm the present amount and how it is paid with the registry), plus typing, notary and any translation |
| Scrutiny and first listing | Anything from a few weeks to three months | Minor charges if defects must be cured |
| Counter affidavit and rejoinder | Three to nine months; more if the department keeps asking for time | Copies and drafting of the rejoinder |
| Arguments and final order | One to three years in a contested case; urgent matters move faster | Travel to Prayagraj if you wish to attend; many dates are now heard by video |
| Writ before the Allahabad High Court | Very variable, commonly one to three years | High Court court fee and certified copies |
The distance problem for western UP
By road, Ghaziabad is about 650 kilometres from Prayagraj, and Meerut and Saharanpur are hardly nearer. For a clerk in one of those districts, the bench that has jurisdiction means an overnight train, while Copernicus Marg in Delhi is an hour away by metro. Much of the controversy around this bench comes out of that simple fact.
For a while the Principal Bench was entertaining fresh applications from western UP under the Chairman's Section 25 power. The Prayagraj bar protested, and in May 2025 a single judge of the Allahabad High Court, on a writ petition, took the view that Section 25 had been misread. In the judge's words the provision allows cases to be transferred; it does not let one bench take over another's territory as a routine. The Centre was asked to reply. We are not aware of a final decision as of October 2026, so check the latest position before you plan your case around Delhi.
Our advice to most people in western UP is simple. File where Rule 6 puts you, use e-filing, and ask for hearings by video whenever the bench permits. If you genuinely have a Delhi connection, for instance an order passed by an office in Delhi, plead it openly in the application. Our pages for Ghaziabad and Meerut discuss this at length.
A retired railway supervisor, two possible benches
Here's a made-up example. Ram Kishore retired in 2024 as a senior section engineer in the Jhansi division of the North Central Railway. His pension came out lower than he expected because two years he spent officiating in a higher grade were left out. These days he lives with his daughter in Janakpuri, Delhi.
He wrote to the division in February 2025 and heard nothing back. The six months for a decision expired in August 2025, and his one year under Section 21 started then, so he aimed to file before August 2026, even though a wrong pension fixation is also treated as a recurring grievance. He came to us in June 2026.
He had two benches to choose from. The pension fixation came out of Jhansi, which is Prayagraj territory. Being retired, he could also use Rule 6(2) and file where he lives, which brought in the Principal Bench. He picked Delhi, since he could attend each date himself. Had he stayed back in Jhansi, Prayagraj would have been the sensible choice, with video hearings where possible.
None of this predicts what a tribunal would decide on such a claim. The example only shows how the question of the bench gets answered from a person's facts.
Where the writ goes after the Allahabad Bench decides
A decision of the Allahabad Bench is challenged in the Allahabad High Court through a writ petition, which a Division Bench hears. The rule comes from L. Chandra Kumar v. Union of India (1997): tribunal orders are subject to the writ jurisdiction of the High Court in whose territory the bench is located. These petitions are filed at the principal seat in Prayagraj.
Either party may go up. Departments frequently do so after losing, which is one reason a favourable order can take another year or two to become final. Unless the High Court stays the tribunal's order, though, the department must still carry it out.
Beyond the High Court lies a special leave petition under Article 136 in the Supreme Court, presented through an Advocate-on-Record. More on the High Court stage is on our page about service writs at the Allahabad High Court.
Papers to bring, or send, before we speak
- The order that troubles you, plus the envelope, dak register entry or email that shows when it reached you.
- Your appeal or representation, with the speed post slip or the office diary stamp.
- Any reply, even a holding letter saying the matter is being examined.
- Appointment letter, and the orders for each promotion, MACP upgradation or transfer connected with the dispute.
- Service book pages for pay fixation, increments and leave.
- APARs for the relevant years, or a copy of your RTI application asking for them.
- If it is a pension matter: the PPO, the pension calculation sheet and the last pay certificate.
- If it is a recruitment matter: the advertisement, your application form, admit card, result and rejection letter.
- English translations, or at least very clear copies, of papers written in Hindi.
- A one or two page note, in your words and in date order, of what happened.
Mistakes that cost time at this bench
- Choosing the bench nearest home. A serving employee who lives in Ghaziabad but is posted in Kanpur cannot pick Delhi simply because it is near.
- Sending letter after letter. A fourth or fifth representation does not reset the one-year clock. S.S. Rathore v. State of M.P. (1989) settled that, and benches apply it firmly.
- Missing the officer who actually signed. When the General Manager's office at Gorakhpur issued the order, it has to be made a respondent, not just the Railway Board in Delhi.
- Filing Hindi papers with no word about translation. A late demand for English copies holds up the matter.
- Losing track of dates. Matters here can be adjourned many times. Someone has to watch the cause list and tell you the next date.
Interim orders, urgent listings and hearings by video
Under Section 24, the bench ordinarily makes an interim order only after the department has a copy of your application and an opportunity to respond, unless it records reasons for acting sooner. So when time is short, say a transfer that bites next Monday or a salary recovery about to begin, hand an advance copy to the department's standing counsel and request an early date.
Interim protection is discretionary. The bench asks three questions: is there a serious case to argue, which side would be more inconvenienced by an order, and would you suffer harm that cannot be made good with money later. Transfers are rarely stayed unless they break the transfer policy or show bad faith. Recoveries from Group C staff and pensioners are stayed more readily, particularly where State of Punjab v. Rafiq Masih (2015) covers the facts.
Since 2020, hearings by video have become usual at most benches, though practice changes from time to time. Ask your counsel whether Prayagraj is currently taking your kind of case online. For a complicated final hearing, appearing in person is often the better choice.
How the picture changes for officers, Group C staff, pensioners and candidates
A Group A officer posted at a Prayagraj headquarters usually faces orders signed in New Delhi by a ministry or board. That gives a real Delhi connection, and the choice between Prayagraj and the Principal Bench should be made deliberately, keeping in mind where the officer may be posted a year from now. Group B and Group C staff are more often punished, transferred or refused upgradation by an authority sitting in the same zone or division, so Prayagraj is normally the only sensible bench.
Pensioners have the widest choice because of Rule 6(2), and families claiming family pension after a death often live far from where the employee last served. Candidates are different again: the cause of action for a recruitment dispute usually arises where the recruiting body sits or where the result and rejection were communicated, so a candidate from Etawah rejected by a regional selection office in Prayagraj files here, while one rejected by a body in Delhi may have a choice. Casual workers and Gramin Dak Sevaks in remote districts rarely have records in order, and the first month of their case is usually spent collecting them.
How our firm handles Allahabad Bench matters
We work out of Dwarka in New Delhi and Vaishali in Ghaziabad. For Prayagraj, we brief associate counsel who appear at that bench regularly; drafting, strategy and client meetings stay with Advocate B.K. Singh and the team in Delhi NCR. Most clients from Kanpur, Agra, Varanasi or Gorakhpur begin with an online consultation and share papers by email or WhatsApp.
In a bench question, Advocate B.K. Singh first wants to see the order and the date it reached you, because most difficulties at this bench turn out to be either limitation or forum, and both are visible from those two facts. Next he asks where you are posted or living today, since Rule 6 turns on that.
We settle fees at the first meeting and put them in writing, one stage at a time, so drafting, filing and appearances are clear before work starts.
When a case at this bench may not be worth filing
The tribunal is not the answer to every grievance. Where a pay or allowance mistake is plainly against a rule and the office is just sitting on it, a carefully worded representation through proper channel, a reminder, and an RTI request for the file notings will sometimes fix things in a few months. Rushing to court can make the office dig in.
Likewise, a routine transfer within the same station, or a decision that lies within the department's discretion with no rule broken, may not be worth a year of hearings and the strain on working relationships. We prefer to say this at the first meeting.
The position flips when your livelihood is at stake: removal from service, a big recovery, a pension cut, a lost appointment. There, delay is the real danger, and the one-year limit should be treated as fixed.
What to do this week
Write the order's date and the date you received it on a single sheet. Add your posting or home address today. Compare your district with the fifteen Lucknow districts named at the top of this page, then decide whether your case belongs at Prayagraj, at Lucknow or, through one of the Rule 6 routes, in New Delhi. Pensioners and candidates who want the general picture can read our page on the Central Administrative Tribunal, and people in Noida have a separate page on Noida and Greater Noida service cases.
If you want your papers looked at, or want to hear when the Allahabad Bench position or the rules change, get in touch with Advocate B.K. Singh.
Frequently asked questions
Is Kanpur under CAT Allahabad or CAT Lucknow?
Kanpur Nagar and Kanpur Dehat file at the Allahabad Bench in Prayagraj. Lucknow takes just fifteen districts, such as Lucknow, Unnao and Hardoi, and neither Kanpur district is among them.
Can a Ghaziabad employee file in CAT Delhi instead of Allahabad?
Only if Rule 6 gives a reason. Being posted in Delhi, having part of the dispute arise in Delhi, or having retired and living in Delhi each brings in the Principal Bench. Working and living in Ghaziabad does not.
Where is the CAT Allahabad Bench located?
In the Civil Lines area of Prayagraj. Confirm the address, phone numbers and working hours on cgat.gov.in before you travel, as the tribunal's website is the reliable source.
Does the Allahabad Bench still hear Uttarakhand cases?
New cases from Uttarakhand have gone to the Principal Bench in New Delhi since the notification of 18 July 2023. For a case that was already pending, check its present status on the tribunal's website.
Which High Court hears a writ against a CAT Allahabad order?
The Allahabad High Court, where a Division Bench takes such petitions. The Supreme Court can then be approached by special leave petition.
Can I file my OA online at CAT Allahabad?
Yes. The tribunal's e-filing portal accepts applications for this bench. You still need annexures in proper order, a signed vakalatnama if an advocate files for you, and the fee paid in the mode the registry accepts.
My father was a postal employee in Varanasi and has died. Where does my mother file for family pension?
Usually Prayagraj, if the claim comes out of his Varanasi service or she lives in an Allahabad Bench district. If she has moved to another state, the bench where she lives may also be open to her, so check Rule 6 before filing.
How long does a case at CAT Allahabad usually take?
Between one and three years is common for a contested case. Urgent issues can get an interim order much earlier, and cases where the department accepts the claim may close sooner.