--- title: "Rule 22: Appeal to Appellate Tribunal" url: https://dpdp.myndsolution.com/wiki/rules/rule-22-appeal-to-appellate-tribunal/ description: "Rule 22 of the Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025 (Appeal to Appellate Tribunal). Official text verbatim, comes into force on 13 may 2027, with…" kind: rule updated: 2026-09-09 official_source: https://egazette.gov.in/WriteReadData/2025/267650.pdf text_type: official-text-plus-interpretation publisher: MYND Integrated Solutions license: Official Government of India texts are reproduced verbatim (public domain / open government data). Interpretation is CC BY 4.0, MYND Integrated Solutions. disclaimer: Not legal advice. Official text prevails over any interpretation. html_version: https://dpdp.myndsolution.com/wiki/rules/rule-22-appeal-to-appellate-tribunal/ --- # Rule 22: Appeal to Appellate Tribunal *The Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025, G.S.R. 846(E) dated 13 November 2025. Comes into force on 13 May 2027.* ## Official text - **(1)** 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. - **(2)** 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. - **(3)** The Appellate Tribunal— - **(a)** 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 - **(b)** 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. ## Made under - [s. 29 Appeal to Appellate Tribunal](https://dpdp.myndsolution.com/wiki/act/section-29-appeal-to-appellate-tribunal/) ## Interpretation in plain English (not legal advice) > This is a plain-English interpretation of the official text, prepared by the DPDP Wiki editorial team. It is not the law and not legal advice, and it may be incomplete or wrong. Always rely on the official text of the Act, the Rules and the notifications, and take advice from a qualified professional for your situation. 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 2026-09-09 from the official text only; the official text prevails.* --- Cite as: DPDP Rules, 2025, r. 22. Official source: https://egazette.gov.in/WriteReadData/2025/267650.pdf