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Delhi HC disposes off Cas LPA, wants implementation ‘in letter and spirit’
NEW DELHI: A division bench of Delhi High Court today disposed off the Cas case, and reiterated its earlier orders of 20 July, 2006 regarding implementation of Cas “in letter and spirit”, and said if any parties, including MSOs, were not satisfied with that implementation, they could reapproach the court. The court held that the government Letter Patent Appeal (LPA) was infructuous because Cas has been implemented by the government, but said also that government is free to pursue separate remedies in if any arising out of the 10 March 2006 order. The court held that the case was infructuous because Cas has been implemented by the government, but said also that government is free to pursue separate legal remedies if any, arising out of the 10 March 2006 order. |
This has reference to the government wanting to raise the issue that if it has a legal right to switch on Cas it had a commensurate right to switch off Cas. Jubilant MSO and LCO sources said that this would mean that as per the March 10 order, read with the order today, Cas has to be implemented in the four metros and their surrounding areas as well, taking note that the court had mentioned Delhi and NCR as the area of implementation. |
“This will finally give the choice to the people who have shifted from the main cities to the suburbs but have purchasing power, and do away with the north-south divide that has developed in the four metros,” said a senior legal counsel, requesting anonymity. The Delhi High Court had on 20 July last year ordered that CAS (conditional access systems) should be introduced in all three metros on or before 1 January 2007. The court, in its order, had also made clear its resolve not to allow further delays in the matter, declaring that all pending and any new issues related to CAS raised by the government would be taken up only after the CAS‘ implementation deadline of 31 December 2006. The notification stated: “In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 4A, read with section 9 of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 (7 of 1995), the Central Government, having been satisfied that it is necessary in the public interest so to do, and having regard to the aforesaid order dated the 20th July, 2006 of the Hon‘ble High Court of Delhi, hereby notifies 31st December, 2006 as the date from which it shall be mandatory for every cable operator to transmit or re-transmit programmes of every pay channel through an addressable system in the areas notified by the Government of India in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting vide number S.O. 792(E) dated the 10th July, 2003.” The areas that fall under the CAS notification are the Kolkata Metropolitan areas, the areas covered by the Municipal Council of Greater Mumbai and the National Capital Region of Delhi. The Union government had filed the LPA, which has been disposed off today, stating that the time given it was too little, and hence had wanted a decision on the issue. This is what the Delhi High Court ordered today, pointing out that since the government had already (partially) implemented Cas, the LPA is infructuous, and the order of July 20, 2006 has to be implemented “in letter and spirit”. Industry sources said that this means since the July 20 order was on the issue of the March 10 order by a single-judge bench, which had ordered implementation of Cas across the metros, the order issued today by the Delhi High Court would clean up the path for the implementation of Cas across the metros.
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With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
