TELECOM DISPUTES SETTLEMENT & APPELLATE TRIBUNAL NEW DELHI Dated 16^th April, 2026 Broadcasting Petition No. 598 of 2018 Hathway Digital Private Limited …Petitioner(s)

Vs.

Manoj Cable TV Network & Anr. …Respondent(s)

BEFORE:

HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE RAM KRISHNA GAUTAM, MEMBER For Petitioner : Mr. Nasir Husain, Advocate For Respondent No. 2 : Mr. Upender Thakur, Advocate Ms Shreya Kardam, Ms Karishma Singh For R-2

JUDGMENT

1. This Petition, under Section 14(A) (1) read with Section 14 (a) (ii) of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997 (hereinafter referred to as “TRAI Act”) has been filed by Hathway Digital Private Limited, Petitioner, against Manoj Cable TV Network & M/s Siti Networks Limited, Respondents, with a prayer for a direction against Respondents, to pay an amount of Rs. 86,636/- (Rupees Eighty Six Thousand Six Hundred and Thirty Six Only), and interest at the rate of 18% per annum, towards outstanding subscription charges of the Petitioners, with a direction to return of 130 STBs or in the alternative to pay its cost, amounting to Rs. 1,62,500/- (Rupees One Lakhs Sixty Two Thousand and Five Hundred Only) @ Rs. 1250/- per STB, to the Petitioner. A further relief was also claimed for grant of permanent injunction against Respondent No. 2, a competitive MSO, for not providing signal to Respondent No. 1, until the liability, written as above, are being cleared by Respondent No. 1, that too, in accordance with a notice, required in Clauses 6.4 and 6.5 of the TRAI Regulations i.e., 21 days’ notice.

2. In brief, the Petition contends that Petitioner, namely, Hathway Digital Private Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary Company of Hathway Cable and Datacom Limited, is a Public Limited Company, incorporated under the provisions of the Companies Act, 1956, having its Registered Office, at 805/806, “Windsor” Off C.S.T. Road, Kalina, Santacruz (E) Mumbai- 400098. The Petitioner, is engaged in retransmitting the signals of Cable TV to its various operators on Pan India basis. The Cable TV business of Hathway Cable and Datacom Limited, has been assigned to Hathway Digital Private Limited, w.e.f. 01.04.2017, due to internal restructuring of the Hathway Cable and Datacom Limited. It has further been stated that the Petitioner has changed its name from Hathway Digital Private Limited to Hathway Digital Limited w.e.f. 03.06.2020.

3. The Respondent No.1, namely, Manoj Cable TV Network, is a local cable operator, represented, through its proprietor, namely, Mr. Manoj, who had been retransmitting the signals / services to the subscribers, obtained from the Petitioner, and thereby distributing the same in the area of Pratap Nagar and it has its office situated at House No. 10645/ 6, Main Road, Pratap Nagar, Sadar Bazaar, Delhi 110007. The Respondent No.2, namely, M/s Siti Networks Limited, is a competing MSO of the Petitioner, having its office at 4^th Floor, Film City- 19, Sector

16A, Noida, U.P - 201301.

4. On the request, made by the Respondent No.1, the Petitioner agreed to provide its signals / services, for further retransmission to the subscribers, in the area of Pratap Nagar, Delhi and thereby entered into a Model Interconnect Agreement, under the terms of which the Respondent No. 1 was liable to pay the monthly subscription charges accordingly. The Petitioner had issued approximately 200 set top boxes to the Respondent No.1. That all the LCOs across India availing signals from the Petitioner have been given access to Hathway Connect Portal. Similar is the case of most of all major MSOs operating pan-India. In the case of Petitioner, each LCO is provided a unique user ID and once they are registered, the same can only be accessed by them as it can only be operated by using a password. The LCOs have all the rights through portal to activate, deactivate services of the consumers, change the packaging and provide channels as per choice of consumers and making payments to the Petitioner online through Portal. It was stated that the said