The Board is empowered to decide on which type of cases brought before it?

• A. Criminal cases
• B. Administrative cases
• C. Civil cases
• D. None of these

Answer: (B)

The concept being tested is how regulatory or professional boards function as decision-making bodies for specific kinds of disputes. A board’s role is to adjudicate matters that arise under the regulations it enforces—such as licensing actions, disciplinary proceedings, and compliance questions within its jurisdiction. These are administrative in nature: the board applies its statutes and rules to individuals or entities, issues licenses, imposes sanctions, or determines whether regulatory requirements were met or violated.

This differs from criminal cases, which are handled by criminal courts and involve prosecuting violations of criminal law with penalties like imprisonment; and civil cases, which are handled by civil courts and involve disputes between private parties (or between private parties and the state) over rights, damages, contracts, or obligations. Administrative proceedings have their own procedures, standards of proof (often substantial evidence rather than beyond a reasonable doubt), and avenues for appeal, but they are distinct from the traditional criminal and civil court pathways.

So, the board is empowered to decide administrative cases brought before it, rather than criminal or civil cases.