Procedure upon receipt of reference

(1) As soon as any reference described in section 7 is received in the office of the Tribunal, it shall be examined, along with the affidavit and documents, by such responsible officer of the Tribunal as the Chairman may, by general or special order, authorize in that behalf. (2) The reference, if found in order, or after any defect or deficiency in it is rectified, shall be registered and numbered and placed before the Chairman. (3) The Chairman, keeping in view the nature of the dispute, the amount involved and other relevant matters, if any, shall assign it to a Bench for adjudication. (4) The Bench to which a reference is so assigned shall cause notice to be issued to the opposite party to show cause. The notice shall be in such form as may be prescribed and shall specify the date for appearance: Provided that if the Tribunal is satisfied that there is no ground for the reference, nothing in this sub-section shall prevent it from rejecting the reference at any stage of the case for the reasons to be recorded in writing. (5) The opposite party, on or before the date specified for appearance in the notice, may file a written reply, signed by the opposite party or his authorized agent, with an affidavit verifying the facts stated in the reply.