Under Section 19(24), the Tribunal must endeavour to finally dispose of an application within how many days from the date of receipt?

Section 19(24) provides that the application shall be dealt with as expeditiously as possible and every effort shall be made to complete the proceedings in two hearings, and to dispose of the application finally within one hundred and eighty days from the date of receipt of the application. The phrase 'complete the proceedings in two hearings' was inserted by the 2016 Amendment to further streamline the process. While the 180-day limit is directory (not mandatory), non-compliance does not void proceedings. The legislative intent is to make DRTs a speedy alternative to civil courts, which historically took years to decide bank debt recovery suits.