Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal
The tremendous growth in the telecommunication services led to the requirement of a regulatory and statutory body, which should be fully empowered to control the services, in the best interest of the country as well as the service providers. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act passed in 1997 created the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India armed with all the statutory powers. This body, known as Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), was originally invested with certain quasi-judicial authority to adjudicate and settle disputes.
With the amendment of the Act by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Amendment) Act, 2000, it has been tried to remove certain difficulties that had arisen in implementation of the Act. The objectives of bringing about functional clarity, strengthening the regulatory framework and the disputes settlement mechanism were attained by bringing about a clear distinction between the recommendatory and regulatory functions of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) by making it mandatory for Government to seek recommendations of TRAI in respect of specified matters and by the setting up of a separate dispute settlement mechanism. The Amendment Act has established an Appellate Tribunal known as the “Telecom Disputes Settlement & Appellate Tribunal” to adjudicate disputes and dispose of appeals with a view to protect the interests of service providers and consumers of the telecom sector and to promote and ensure orderly growth of the telecom sector.
