Sections 29–32: Appeals, Mediation and Voluntary Undertakings

Statutory Text (Official Gazette)

Section 29. Appeal to Appellate Tribunal

29. (1) Any person aggrieved by an order or direction made by the Board under this Act may prefer an appeal before the Appellate Tribunal.

(2) Every appeal under sub-section (1) shall be filed within a period of sixty days from the date of receipt of the order or direction appealed against and it shall be in such form and manner and shall be accompanied by such fee as may be prescribed.

(3) The Appellate Tribunal may entertain an appeal after the expiry of the period specified in sub-section (2), if it is satisfied that there was sufficient cause for not preferring the appeal within that period.

(4) On receipt of an appeal under sub-section (1), the Appellate Tribunal may, after giving the parties to the appeal, an opportunity of being heard, pass such orders thereon as it thinks fit, confirming, modifying or setting aside the order appealed against.

(5) The Appellate Tribunal shall send a copy of every order made by it to the Board and to the parties to the appeal.

(6) The appeal filed before the Appellate Tribunal under sub-section (1) shall be dealt with by it as expeditiously as possible and endeavour shall be made by it to dispose of the appeal finally within six months from the date on which the appeal is presented to it.

(7) Where any appeal under sub-section (6) could not be disposed of within the period of six months, the Appellate Tribunal shall record its reasons in writing for not disposing of the appeal within that period.

(8) Without prejudice to the provisions of section 14A and section 16 of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997, the Appellate Tribunal shall deal with an appeal under this section in accordance with such procedure as may be prescribed.

(9) Where an appeal is filed against the orders of the Appellate Tribunal under this Act, the provisions of section 18 of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997 shall apply.

(10) In respect of appeals filed under the provisions of this Act, the Appellate Tribunal shall, as far as practicable, function as a digital office, with the receipt of appeal, hearing and pronouncement of decisions in respect of the same being digital by design.

Section 30. Orders passed by Appellate Tribunal to be executable as decree

30. (1) An order passed by the Appellate Tribunal under this Act shall be executable by it as a decree of civil court, and for this purpose, the Appellate Tribunal shall have all the powers of a civil court.

(2) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), the Appellate Tribunal may transmit any order made by it to a civil court having local jurisdiction and such civil court shall execute the order as if it were a decree made by that court.

Section 31. Alternate dispute resolution

31. If the Board is of the opinion that any complaint may be resolved by mediation, it may direct the parties concerned to attempt resolution of the dispute through such mediation by such mediator as the parties may mutually agree upon, or as provided for under any law for the time being in force in India.

Section 32. Voluntary undertaking

32. (1) The Board may accept a voluntary undertaking in respect of any matter related to observance of the provisions of this Act from any person at any stage of a proceeding under section 28.

(2) The voluntary undertaking referred to in sub-section (1) may include an undertaking to take such action within such time as may be determined by the Board, or refrain from taking such action, and or publicising such undertaking.

(3) The Board may, after accepting the voluntary undertaking and with the consent of the person who gave the voluntary undertaking vary the terms included in the voluntary undertaking.

(4) The acceptance of the voluntary undertaking by the Board shall constitute a bar on proceedings under the provisions of this Act as regards the contents of the voluntary undertaking, except in cases covered by sub-section (5).

(5) Where a person fails to adhere to any term of the voluntary undertaking accepted by the Board, such breach shall be deemed to be breach of the provisions of this Act and the Board may, after giving such person an opportunity of being heard, proceed in accordance with the provisions of section 33.

What Sections 29 to 32 Mean in Plain English

1. Appeal to TDSAT (Section 29): Anyone affected by a Board order or direction can appeal to the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal within 60 days. Late appeals are allowed if there is sufficient cause. TDSAT tries to decide within six months and works as a digital office. Under Rule 22, appeals are filed digitally and the fee matches TRAI Act appeals, payable by UPI. A further appeal goes to the Supreme Court under section 18 of the TRAI Act.
2. Orders are enforceable like court decrees (Section 30): TDSAT can enforce its own orders or send them to a local civil court.
3. Mediation (Section 31): If the Board thinks a complaint can be settled, it can direct both sides to try mediation.
4. Voluntary undertaking (Section 32): At any stage of an inquiry, you can offer to take or stop certain actions, or to publicise the undertaking. Once the Board accepts it, no further proceedings can be brought on the matters it covers. If you then break it, that counts as a breach of the Act and can bring a penalty up to the amount for the original breach (Schedule item 6).

Practical Takeaways

• Diary the 60 days: The appeal clock starts when you receive the order.
• Consider an undertaking early: Offering a credible fix can end proceedings without a penalty.
• Track undertaking deadlines: Missing one revives the exposure.