Litigation load rises on TRAI in FY25, spike seen in regulatory disputes

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) saw its overall litigation burden increase in FY25, with the number of cases pending across courts and tribunals rising to 513 as of March 31, 2025, compared with 458 cases pending a year earlier, according to its Annual Reports for 2023–24 and 2024–25.

The increase reflects a sharp rise in disputes before the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT), even as pending cases before the Supreme Court showed a marginal decline.

Overall litigation trend: FY24 vs FY25

As of March 31, 2024, TRAI had 458 cases pending before various judicial forums. During FY25, 150 fresh cases were filed, while 95 cases were disposed of, taking the total pending matters to 513 by March 31, 2025 .

In contrast, during FY24, TRAI had 46 new cases filed and 64 cases disposed of, resulting in a net reduction from 476 cases pending as of March 31, 2023 to 458 cases by March 31, 2024

Court-wise comparison of pending cases

Supreme Court

Pending cases before the Supreme Court declined marginally over the two-year period. As of March 31, 2024, 161 cases were pending. During FY25, three new cases were filed and six were disposed of, bringing the pending tally down to 158 cases as of March 31, 2025 .

This follows a similar trend in FY24, when disposals exceeded fresh filings, reducing the backlog from 171 cases in March 2023 to 161 cases in March 2024.

High Courts

High Courts continued to account for a substantial portion of TRAI’s litigation. Pending cases rose marginally from 204 as of March 31, 2024 to 207 as of March 31, 2025, with 78 new filings and 75 disposals during FY25 .

In FY24, High Court cases had declined from 209 to 204, indicating relative stability before ticking up again in FY25.

TDSAT: sharp escalation in FY25

The most notable change occurred at TDSAT. Pending cases before the tribunal jumped sharply from 15 as of March 31, 2024 to 59 as of March 31, 2025. During FY25, 45 new cases were filed, while only one case was disposed of.

By contrast, FY24 saw TDSAT cases decline modestly from 17 to 15, with disposals outpacing filings. The FY25 spike points to intensifying regulatory disputes, particularly in broadcasting and tariff-related matters, increasingly being channelled to the sector-specific tribunal.

Consumer forums and district courts

Consumer forum cases rose from 32 pending as of March 31, 2024 to 37 by March 31, 2025, with 10 new cases filed and five disposed of during FY25.

District court cases also increased modestly from 34 to 38 over the same period, reflecting a steady inflow of lower-level litigation.

Other tribunals

Pending cases before other tribunals rose from 12 as of March 31, 2024 to 14 as of March 31, 2025, after five new cases and three disposals during FY25.

Judicial activity increased in FY25. TRAI reported that 343 cases were heard across courts and tribunals during FY25, up from 322 cases heard in FY24 .

TDSAT hearings rose significantly to 52 cases in FY25, compared with 14 hearings in FY24, mirroring the sharp increase in filings before the tribunal.

What the data signals

The year-on-year comparison shows that while TRAI has managed to keep Supreme Court and High Court litigation broadly stable, regulatory friction is increasingly shifting to TDSAT, particularly in sectors such as broadcasting, tariff regulation and interconnection frameworks.

The widening gap between filings and disposals at the tribunal level suggests prolonged regulatory uncertainty for industry stakeholders, even as TRAI continues to defend its regulatory architecture across multiple judicial forums.

As policy realignment under the Telecommunications Act, 2023 accelerates, litigation trends indicate that courts and tribunals will remain a critical arena shaping the future contours of telecom and broadcasting regulation in India.