High Court
Ad cap case adjourned to 24 March
NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court today adjourned the petition by the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) and others challenging the advertising cap of 12 minutes per hour sought to be imposed by the government to 24 March.
The bench was unable to hear the case today in view of the pendency of large number of part-heard matters.
The assurance given by TRAI to not take any action against any channel pending the petition, will continue and the Court has, at the regulator’s instance, directed that all channels to keep a record of the advertisements run by them. It can be noted that the ad cap case was adjourned to 21 January, 2015 when it last came up for hearing on 20 November, 2014.
During the hearing on 25 September, NBA counsel Nisha Bhambani had sought adjournment in view of the senior counsel S Ganesh not being in Delhi.
Earlier on 15 July, the Court had adjourned the case as the final hearing of the bunch of petitions challenging the ad cap sort to be imposed by TRAI as the authority had not finalised its rejoinder.
The case had been previously heard in the High Court on 17 December, 2013 and 13 March, 2014.
The NBA had challenged the ad cap rule, contending that TRAI does not have jurisdiction to regulate commercial airtime on television channels.
Apart from the NBA, the petition have been filed by Sarthak Entertainment, Pioneer Channel Factory, E24 Glamoru, Sun TV Network, TV Vision, B4U Broadband, 9X Media, Kalaignar, Celebrities Management, Eanadu Television and Raj Television.
The news and regional broadcasters fear that the capping of commercial airtime will curtail their ad revenues. They also argue that the ad cap must be brought only after the benefits of cable TV digitisation start kicking in.
High Court
Court defers Madison–CCI case to May 11
Interim relief continues as Centre seeks time to respond
NEW DELHI: The legal face-off between Madison Communications Pvt. Ltd. and the Competition Commission of India has been pushed to May 11, 2026, after the Union Government failed to file its response to the agency’s petition. The Delhi High Court granted the Centre a final two weeks to submit its affidavit, making it clear that any further delay could invite an adverse inference.
For now, the interim relief granted earlier will remain in place. This means the CCI cannot take any coercive steps against Madison or its senior executives until the matter is heard again, offering the agency temporary breathing room.
The dispute stems from a wide-ranging antitrust probe launched by the CCI into alleged cartelisation in the advertising industry. In March 2025, the regulator carried out raids on multiple agencies, including Madison, after receiving a leniency application from rival firm Dentsu. The watchdog suspects that agencies coordinated media rates and discounts through private groups, potentially breaching competition law.
Madison has challenged the investigation in court, questioning both its legality and procedure. The agency claims that its chairman Sam Balsara and executive director Vikram Sakhuja were questioned for nearly 20 hours without access to legal counsel and in the presence of armed personnel. It has also argued that the focus of the probe is misplaced, contending that the Indian Society of Advertisers’ Model Agency Agreement, rather than agency conduct, is what constrains competition by limiting margins.
Further, Madison alleges that the CCI did not provide a proper search memo or a detailed inventory of the digital data seized during the raids, raising concerns about due process.
With the interim protection extended, the spotlight now shifts to the Union Government. Its response over the next fortnight will determine whether the investigation regains momentum or faces deeper judicial scrutiny.
