Government Considers Merging Cyber and Telecom Appellate Tribunal

Government Considers Merging Cyber and Telecom Appellate Tribunal The Center is planning to merge Cyber Appellate Tribunal (CyAT) with the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) to avoid identical functions. There are 36 tribunals functioning in the country dealing with subjects such as income tax, electricity, consumer protection, company laws and railway accidents.

The government is seeking to reduce the number of tribunals from 36 to 18 as most of these bodies perform “identical functions”. The Department of Legal Affairs in the Law ministry will be the nodal agency for administration of various tribunals. Currently, the tribunals are handled by various ministries. CyAT settles matters related to information technology. TDSAT resolves disputes and dispose of appeals with a view to protect the interests of service providers and consumers of the telecom sector to promote and ensure orderly growth of the telecom sector.