India, May 26 -- The Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed surprise over the large number of long-pending vacancies in the administrative establishment of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT), and sought the intervention of the Attorney General for India to ensure that the posts are filled at the earliest.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was hearing a writ petition filed by Praveen Kumar Bansal concerning longstanding vacancies in the tribunal's administrative setup, which, according to the plea, have severely affected its functioning.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing in the matter, submitted before the court that several key posts in the tribunal had remained vacant for years ac...