With the hotting up of the telecom and broadcasting sector due to the entry of more and more players, legal disputes in the field are bound to increase, Justice Santosh Hegde, who took over as chairperson of Telecom Dispute Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT), said today."Players are so powerful and the field is so fertile, legal battles are bound to continue." With TDSAT being a major dispute-resolving and specialised institution, it would be able to do a lot of justice dispensation, he added."I am happy to get an opportunity to do other than regular court work. Here, it will be a first-hand experience as there will be no appeal but original petition," the former Supreme Court Judge said today.Asked about the controversy over the jurisdiction of TDSAT, Hegde said the Supreme Court is presently hearing a petition in this regard, and "it will give us an indication what is the area of jurisdiction of TDSAT".About 90 cases are pending with the tribunal, Hegde said adding most of the cases were related to broadcasting and cable operators and were not very serious in nature.He, however, said that much more complicated cases in the broadcasting sector were expected in the tribunal, especially when it comes to service provider vs another service provider and the government.
