Etisalat DB has questioned the jurisdiction of Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) in its recent dispute with Reliance Infratel, the tower arm of Reliance Communications, over non-payment of dues.
The company has stated that the case should rather be taken up by a civil court than TDSAT.
Further, the company has submitted that the petition filed by Reliance Infratel is not maintainable as RCOM?s tower arm is not a service provider as per the definition mentioned under the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act. And the telecom tribunal cannot exercise its jurisdiction or adjudicate disputes between parties who are not a service provider.
Recently, Reliance Infratel had approached TDSAT filing a petition against Etisalat to recover its outstanding dues worth Rs 12 billion, for providing its telecom infrastructure to the operator.
The move to approach TDSAT came after Supreme Court?s verdict of cancelling the controversial licences issued in 2008 and Etisalat announcing its plans to exit the Indian telecom sector.
