Overview
The Chambers’ telecommunications practice is built on a 30-year lineage under the mentorship of Mr. Manjul Bajpai, one of India’s foremost telecom advocates. Both Mr. Manjul Bajpai and Dr. Shashwat Bajpai regularly handle telecommunications matters — spanning the full spectrum of regulatory interpretation, licence advisory, and high-stakes litigation before the Supreme Court, TDSAT, and the High Courts.
The Chambers advises domestic and foreign telecommunications companies, broadcasting organisations, cable operators, and industry associations — including world telecom bodies such as GSMA — on the regulatory framework governing India’s telecommunications sector. This includes the interpretation of TRAI Consultation Papers, Recommendations, Regulations, and Guidelines, as well as licence acquisition from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and compliance with subordinate regulations under the Telecommunications Act, 2023.
The Chambers advises and represents clients in a wide range of regulatory and commercial matters arising under the Electricity Act, 2003. The practice encompasses disputes relating to tariff determination and tariff revision, power purchase agreements (PPAs), fuel supply arrangements, transmission service agreements etc. The Chambers regularly handles disputes concerning change in law claims, force majeure events, compensation for curtailed generation, delays in project commissioning, transmission constraints, payment defaults, recovery of dues, contractual interpretation, termination of power sector agreements, and claims arising from generation, transmission, distribution, and trading activities. The Chambers has experience in proceedings before the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC), State Electricity Regulatory Commissions (SERCs), the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL), High Courts, and the Supreme Court of India, representing generators, transmission licensees, distribution companies, power traders, infrastructure developers, industrial consumers, and other stakeholders in complex regulatory and commercial disputes.
What We Do
- Telecom regulatory advisory — licences, spectrum, tariff, and interconnect
- Licence acquisition from the DoT and concerned government bodies
- TRAI consultations and representations on behalf of TSPs and industry bodies
- Advising on the Telecommunications Act, 2023 and its subordinate regulations and guidelines
- Litigation before the Supreme Court, High Courts, and TDSAT — including regulatory challenges and appellate petitions against TRAI
- Disputes involving tariff determination, spectrum allocation, mobile termination charges (MTC), interconnect usage charges (IUC), 3G interconnect roaming (3G-ICR), and Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR)
- 2G licence cancellation, spectrum auction, and National Telecom Policy matters
- Representation of the only HITS (Head-end in the Sky) operator before TDSAT in broadcasting matters filed by or against Broadcasters, Multi System Operators (MSOs), and Local Cable Operators (LCOs)
- Recovery petitions filed by or against HITS operators, MSOs, and LCOs
- Inter-se disputes between two or more telecom service providers (TSPs)
- Cell-tower disputes before the Delhi High Court
- Broadcasting and cable service disputes before TDSAT
- Advising generators, transmission licensees, distribution companies (DISCOMs), power traders, renewable energy developers, and large industrial consumers on regulatory compliance and commercial arrangements
- Drafting, negotiation, and dispute resolution relating to Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), Transmission Service Agreements (TSAs), Fuel Supply Agreements (FSAs), Wheeling Agreements, and other sector-specific contracts
- Representation before the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC), State Electricity Regulatory Commissions (SERCs), Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL), High Courts, and the Supreme Court of India
- Disputes concerning change in law events, force majeure claims, compensation mechanisms, and regulatory adjustments
- Recovery and payment disputes involving generators, transmission utilities, distribution companies, and power purchasers
- Proceedings involving licensing, regulatory approvals, transmission and distribution infrastructure, and sectoral policy challenges
- Commercial and regulatory disputes concerning generation, transmission, distribution, trading, and supply of electricity
- Appellate and constitutional challenges to regulatory orders, notifications, circulars, and policy decisions affecting stakeholders in the power sector
Representative Experience
- Represented COAI and the three top telecom companies before the Supreme Court in the 2G licence cancellation case and spectrum auction matters
- Represented COAI and the three top companies before the Supreme Court for extension of licences under the 2012 National Telecom Policy and spectrum auction disputes
- Successfully represented all Indian telecom companies in the call drop case before the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court
- Represented Vodafone Ltd. before the Delhi High Court in litigation against Reliance Jio relating to free consumer offers
- Advised and represented GSMA and AUSPI on regulatory consultations
- Represented Vodafone, Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular, and Aircel before the Supreme Court and TDSAT across multiple matters
Client identities, matter-specific details, and representations before Courts have been redacted to preserve confidentiality obligations and protect privileged client information.