Former SC judge Aftab Alam likely to be new TDSAT head

KOLKATA: Chief Justice Altamas Kabir has proposed the appointment of former Supreme Court judge Aftab Alam as the new head of the Telecom Disputes Settlement & Appellate Tribunal, according to documents reviewed by ET.

In a letter to communications minister Kapil Sibal, Chief Justice Kabir has said he is recommending Justice Alam's name for the post since his first choice, former Supreme Court judge Cyriac Joseph, is tipped to become member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

"It has come to my knowledge that Justice Cyriac Joseph, whom I had recommended for appointment as TDSAT chairperson, is being considered for appointment as a member of the NHRC. In the changed scenario, I am glad to recommend Justice Aftab Alam, who has recently demitted office of Judge of the Supreme Court, for being appointed as the chairperson of TDSAT," the letter dated May 19 said.

A copy of the letter was reviewed by ET.

As per norms, the head of TDSAT- the dispute resolution agency for the telecom sector-must be a person who is, or has been, a Supreme Court judge or the chief justice of a high court. The position has been vacant since the end of Justice SB Sinha's tenure last November.

Sibal, who is also the new law minister, had earlier written to the CJI that the telecom tribunal was facing "severe impediments" in its functioning in the absence of a chairperson.

The minister had also sought Chief Justice Kabir's consent for appointment of a TDSAT member, after a government-appointed panel submitted its recommendations in February.

BK Syngal, senior principal at telecoms consultancy firm Dua Consulting, said the move bodes well for the for the telecoms sector.

"You can't keep a vital constitutional post vacant for such a prolonged period, bringing to a grinding halt the adjudication process in one of the most litigated sectors."