/The Rules · 2025
Rule 22: Appeal to Appellate Tribunal
DPDP Rules, 2025, G.S.R. 846(E) dated 13 November 2025. Comes into force on 13 May 2027.
- Provision
- Rule 22 of The Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025
- Status
- Comes into force on 13 May 2027 (phase 3)
- Made under
- s. 29 Appeal to Appellate Tribunal
- Source
- Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology · G.S.R. 846(E) · 13 November 2025 · Official PDF
Any person aggrieved by an order or direction of the Board, may prefer an appeal before the Appellate Tribunal, it shall be filed in digital form as the Appellate Tribunal may decide.
An appeal filed with the Appellate Tribunal shall be accompanied by fee of like amount as is applicable in respect of an appeal filed under the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997 (24 of 1997), unless reduced or waived by the Chairperson of the Appellate Tribunal at her discretion, and the same shall be payable digitally using the Unified Payments Interface or such other payment system authorised by the Reserve Bank of India.
The Appellate Tribunal—
shall not be bound by the procedure laid down by the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (5 of 1908), but shall be guided by the principles of natural justice and, subject to the provisions of the Act, may regulate its own procedure; and
shall function as a digital office which, without prejudice to its power to summon and enforce the attendance of any person and examine her on oath, may adopt techno-legal measures to conduct proceedings in a manner that does not require physical presence of any individual.
If a person is unhappy with an order or direction from the Board, they can appeal to the Appellate Tribunal. This appeal must be filed digitally, following the format decided by the Tribunal. Filing an appeal requires paying a fee. The fee amount matches what is charged for appeals under the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997. However, the Chairperson of the Appellate Tribunal has the power to reduce or waive this fee at her discretion. The payment must be made digitally using the Unified Payments Interface or another payment system authorized by the Reserve Bank of India. The Appellate Tribunal operates as a digital office. It can use technology to conduct proceedings without requiring anyone to be physically present, although it keeps the power to summon individuals and question them under oath. The Tribunal is not forced to follow the strict procedures of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908. Instead, it creates its own rules based on the principles of natural justice and the provisions of the Act.
Key points
- Any person aggrieved by a Board order can file a digital appeal with the Appellate Tribunal (1).
- The appeal fee matches the fee under the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997, and must be paid digitally via UPI or an RBI-authorized system (2).
- The Chairperson of the Appellate Tribunal can choose to reduce or waive the appeal fee (2).
- The Tribunal is guided by natural justice and regulates its own procedure rather than being bound by the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (3)(a).
- The Tribunal operates as a digital office and can conduct proceedings without requiring physical presence, though it can still summon people to testify under oath (3)(b).
Common misreadings
- People might think they must attend hearings in person, but the Tribunal functions as a digital office and can conduct proceedings without physical presence.
- People might assume the appeal fee is fixed, but the Chairperson of the Appellate Tribunal has the discretion to reduce or waive it.
Interpretation prepared from the official text only, 9 September 2026. The official text above prevails.
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