Trai not shy of facing legal challenges

The Telecom Regulatory of India (Trai) on Tuesday said anybody is free to move court against its tariff order after operators threatened to challenge the new rules while terming them “not fair”.

“Ours is a free country where every individual or entity has a right to seek legal remedies. If somebody is aggrieved with the tariff order, challenging it before appropriate forum will be the the right approach,” Trai Chief RS Sharma told PTI.

He was replying to a question on Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) planning to challenge Trai’s predatory pricing rule in court. Earlier also, such baseless allegations were made and the matter had gone to Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) and the court had upheld Trai’s decision, Sharma said.

Under the new rules, the Trai will impose financial disincentive of up to ~5 million per circle on operators if their service rates are found to be predatory in nature.

Reacting to the new rules, Vodafone Group CEO Vittorio Colao here said: “It sounds like you have to fight somebody with hands tied at the back. That is not fair.”

COAI is evaluating legal options and may also approach Department of Telecom and Prime Minister’s Office on their grievances against the regulator’s decision. Its members

R S SHARMA, Trai chief

“Ours is a free country where every individual or entity has a right to seek legal remedies”