Supreme Court Dismisses PIL Seeking Internet Price Regulation, Directs Petitioner to Competition Commission

Last Updated on February 24, 2025 by Amit Patra

In a pioneering judgment that examines the forces of the market in contrast to judicial intervention, the Supreme Court today rejected a Public Interest Litigation for regulation of internet prices but kept the doors open for looking into concerns over market domination through appropriate statutory mechanisms.
Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar’s bench pointed towards the presence of numerous internet service providers in India’s open market, such as LAN, wired broadband, and even government agencies like BSNL and MTNL. When the petitioner-in-person Rajat pointed towards the claimed 80% market share of Reliance Jio, the CJI immediately instructed him to go to the Competition Commission of India rather.

The Court’s response is reflective of its reluctance to interfere in market forces-driven pricing mechanisms through judicial intervention, and rather leaving it to be addressed by specialized regulatory bodies. In dismissing the petition filed under Article 32 of the Constitution, the bench categorically upheld the petitioner’s right to seek alternative statutory redressals.

This ruling indicates the Supreme Court’s view that issues of market competition are optimally addressed through the available regulatory system and not directly by the courts, even if there continue to be problems about market concentration in the telecommunication sector.