The Delhi High Court has set aside an order of the Central Information Commission directing the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to demand information from the phone service provider and give it to a customer under the RTI Act.
Justice Sanjeev Narula said TRAI requesting information from telecom service providers (TSP) was confined to fulfilling its regulatory functions and did not extend to addressing individual grievances or accessing customer-specific information solely for dissemination under the RTI framework.
The high court, in its order, said the CIC's observation requiring a customer to seek redressal before the consumer disputes redressal forum was misplaced and beyond its statutory mandate.
"TRAI is not a service provider or a consumer under the Consumer Protection Act, and any grievance against TRAI's actions or inactions must be pursued before the TDSAT (Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal), as established under the TRAI Act. By making ...