Section 29 — Appeal to Appellate Tribunal

What this section requires

Anyone aggrieved by a Board order or direction can appeal to the Appellate Tribunal — the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) — within 60 days of receiving it, in the prescribed form, manner and fee. The Tribunal can admit a late appeal if satisfied there was sufficient cause for the delay.

After hearing both sides, the Tribunal can confirm, modify, or set aside the order, and sends a copy to the Board and the parties. It aims to dispose of appeals within six months, recording reasons in writing if it doesn't. It functions, as far as practicable, as a digital office for these appeals.

Who it applies to

Any Data Fiduciary, Data Processor, Consent Manager, or Data Principal aggrieved by a Board order or direction — this is the sole appeal route the Act provides against the Board.

Checklist

• File within 60 days of receiving the order or direction — the clock runs from receipt, not from the date on the order.
• If you miss the 60-day window, be ready to show sufficient cause for the delay — the Tribunal has discretion to admit a late appeal, not an obligation to.
• Follow the prescribed form, manner and fee — an appeal that doesn't comply procedurally risks rejection independent of its merits.

Penalty exposure

Not applicable in the ordinary sense — an appeal doesn't create a new penalty; it reviews one already imposed by the Board under Section 33.

Implementation timeline

Not yet in force. Commences 13 May 2027, eighteen months after the DPDP Rules, 2025 were published (13 November 2025) — per the commencement notification G.S.R. 843(E).