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Hearing against 9 Jan Trai notification on 14 April
NEW DELHI: Fixing 14 April as the next date of hearing, the Delhi High Court today directed the centre, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) and Star India to respond to a petition seeking to quash a government notification by which broadcasting services were made part of the telecommunication services under the Trai Act.
Justice Manmohan Sarin told the respondents to reply within ten days and the petitioner, a Maharashtra-based cable operator Saisagar Cable Network, to file its rejoinder within a week thereafter, and fixed 14 April as the next date of hearing, United News of India reported today.
On 26 February, Justice S K Kaul had issued a notice on the plea that alleged that the notification dated 9 January was arbitrary and discriminatory towards cable operators as it took away all legal remedies available to them.
The petitioner, through counsel Ankur Talwar, said the Trai in an order on 15 January froze the rates charged by cable operators to the subscribers, multi service operators to operators (MSOs) and MSOs to broadcasters as on 26 December last year, both in respect to free-to-air and pay channels, for both CAS and non-CAS areas.
On the same day itself, Star India unilaterally discontinued the TV signal being given to the petitioners, it was alleged. Star India then entered into an agreement with another cable operator at a much higher amount, it was claimed.
The petitioner said though Star India had violated the Trai order, legal recourse was not available to it because of the notification. The petition also sought direction to the Trai to decide its complaint given to it in that regard.
Star India, through counsel Gopal Jain, on the other hand claimed the ”dispute” pertained to its contract with the cable operator, and the agreement mentioned arbitration as the way for its resolution, the UNI report stated.
Standing counsel Sanjay Jain and counsel Meet Malhotra had accepted notices for the Union Government and Trai, respectively.
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WITT Summit 2026 concludes in New Delhi
Babar Azam’s comical diving attempt goes viral as league introduces anti-dew measures.
MUMBAI: The WITT Summit just wrapped up with enough big ideas to fill a policy playbook because when India’s leaders, thinkers and icons gather under one roof, even the conversations hit sixes. The eighth edition of TV9 Network’s flagship What India Thinks Today (WITT) Summit 2026 concluded on Saturday after two days of dynamic discussions at its New Delhi venue. India’s largest multi-domain public policy and culture summit brought together political leaders, policymakers, sports icons, artists and technology innovators to examine the forces shaping contemporary India and its global standing.
Prime minister Narendra Modi delivered the keynote address on the theme “India and the World” for the third consecutive year. In a wide-ranging speech, he addressed the ongoing conflict in West Asia, calling for restraint and compassion while highlighting India’s continued development trajectory despite global turmoil.
The summit featured candid conversations with state leaders. Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy articulated a people-first governance model and contrasted it with other development approaches. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav declared that Left-wing extremism had been effectively eliminated in his state and highlighted preparations for the upcoming Kumbh Mela. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann defended his government’s record, citing the closure of 19 toll plazas and creation of the Sadak Suraksha Force. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar expressed confidence in Congress prospects in Assam and addressed recent allegations against him.
On geopolitics and national security, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia outlined India’s ambition to become a builder of trusted digital infrastructure for the world, citing the rapid 5G rollout and village-level 4G connectivity.
Cricket received significant attention. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly praised player freedom and trust as hallmarks of great leadership and named MS Dhoni as the greatest captain due to his World Cup successes. India women’s team bowling coach Aavishkar Salvi credited the BCCI and Women’s Premier League for building a pipeline of world-class talent behind the team’s recent ODI World Cup triumph.
The summit also hosted the inaugural AI² Awards 2026, celebrating the convergence of human creativity and machine intelligence in storytelling and content creation. Poet and kathavachak Kumar Vishwas delivered a nuanced take on India’s concept of Dharma and criticised the recent arrest of an 80-year-old Shankaracharya. Veteran lyricist Sameer Anjaan and storyteller Neelesh Misra reflected on changing music trends and artistic responsibility in the wake of a recent controversy involving Nora Fatehi.
In a country where conversations often run as deep as the Ganges, the WITT Summit proved once again that when leaders, thinkers and storytellers come together, the real winner is public discourse lively, layered and refreshingly unafraid to tackle the big questions shaping India’s tomorrow.
