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IndiaCode Laws
Section48
The Information Technology Act, 2000

Appellate Tribunal

In force From 17 Oct 2000 Act 21 of 2000 As on 15 Oct 2026

Act 21 of 2000 Ministry Electronics and Information Technology Enacted 09 Jun 2000 In force 17 Oct 2000 Cited by 1 provision Instruments 7

Section 48 of the Information Technology Act, 2000 deals with appellate Tribunal. The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal established under section 14 of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997 (24 of 1997), shall, on and from the commencement of Part XIV of Chapter VI of the Finance Act, 2017 (7 of 2017), be the Appellate Tribunal for the purposes of t The Act came into force on 17 Oct 2000.

48.2[Appellate Tribunal].-- 3[(1) The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal established under section 14 of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997 (24 of 1997), shall, on and from the commencement of Part XIV of Chapter VI of the Finance Act, 2017 (7 of 2017), be the Appellate Tribunal for the purposes of this Act and the said Appellate Tribunal shall exercise the jurisdiction, powers and authority conferred on it by or under this Act.]

(2) The Central Government 4[shall specify, by notification] the matters and places in relation to which the 1[Appellate Tribunal] may exercise jurisdiction.

Section 48, The Information Technology Act, 2000 (Act 21 of 2000).

Cross-references

Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.

This section refers to

  1. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act s. 14 Establishment of Appellate Tribunal

Referred to by 1

  1. s. 2 Definitions

Related judgements & precedents

These are some judgments that construed this section, and hold precedence value. They hold authority on how to read, interpret and use this section.

  1. State Bank of India vs The Adjudicating Officer

    High Court 11 Jul 2017 Persuasive (High Court, Division Bench)

    Court's Decision & Legal Precedent

    The writ petition was entertained because the Chairman's post in the Cyber Appellate Tribunal had lain vacant since 2012 so that no forum was available to hear the statutory appeal, and the Court earlier directed the Central Government to fill it; on the Gazette Notification of 26 May 2017 amending Section 48 to substitute the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal for the Cyber Appellate Tribunal, the Court held that the petitioner must now pursue its appeal before TDSAT, New Delhi and continued the interim order for four weeks to enable transfer of the pending appeal.

    On this section: It applies the 2017 substitution effected in this section, holding that appeals filed before the erstwhile Cyber Appellate Tribunal stand transferred to TDSAT as the Appellate Tribunal under the Act, and that the writ court will not substitute itself for that forum once it exists.

    Read the full order on eCourts India

The holding above is the ratio decidendi as extracted from the judgment by eCourts India, reproduced unaltered — it is a rendering of the court's reasoning, not a substitute for its words. Read the order itself before relying on it.

Made under this section, and citing it

7 instruments name this provision in its title or its text without being made under it.

All subordinate legislation

Questions about Section 48

What have the courts held on Section 48 of the Information Technology Act?

State Bank of India vs The Adjudicating Officer (11 Jul 2017) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: It applies the 2017 substitution effected in this section, holding that appeals filed before the erstwhile Cyber Appellate Tribunal stand transferred to TDSAT as the Appellate Tribunal under the Act, and that the writ court will not substitute itself for that forum once it exists.

How do I find court cases under Section 48 of the Information Technology Act?

In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: IT Act 48, section 48 IT Act, section 48 of the Information Technology Act. People searching for it also type income tax act 48. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome. 1 reported judgment on this section is set out on this page, beginning with State Bank of India vs The Adjudicating Officer (11 Jul 2017).

What should I read with Section 48 of the Information Technology Act, and has it changed?

Its own text turns on Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act 14 (Establishment of Appellate Tribunal), so none of them can safely be read on its own. 1 other provision in this corpus refers back to it. 7 instruments name it without being made under it, most recently Cyber Appellate Tribunal (Powers and Functions of the Chairperson) Rules, 2016. (2016), then Powers and Functions of Chairperson, CyAT (2016).

When did Section 48 of the Information Technology Act come into force?

Section 48 of the Information Technology Act, cited as IT Act 48, came into force on 17 Oct 2000, having been enacted on 09 Jun 2000. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.

Other sections of this Act

Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 15 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.