THE CYBER REGULATIONS APPELLATE
TRIBUNAL
Establishment
of Cyber Appellate Tribunal.—
(1) The Central Government shall,
by notification, establish one or more appellate tribunals to be
known as the Cyber Regulations Appellate Tribunal.
(2) The Central Government shall
also specify, in the notification referred to in sub-section (1),
the matters and places in relation to which the Cyber Appellate
Tribunal may exercise jurisdiction.
Composition of Cyber Appellate Tribunal.—
A Cyber Appellate Tribunal shall
consist of one person only (hereinafter referred to as the Presiding
Officer bf the Cyber Appellate Tribunal) to be appointed, by notification,
by the Central Government.
Qualifications for appointment as
Presiding Officer of the Cyber Appellate Tribunal.—
A person shall not be qualified for
appointment as the Presiding Officer of a Cyber Appellate Tribunal
unless he—
(a) is, or has been, or is qualified
to be, a Judge of a High Court; or
(b) is, or has been, a member of the Indian Legal Service and is
holding or has held a post in Grade I of that Service for at least
three years.
Term of office.—
The Presiding Officer of a Cyber
Appellate Tribunal shall hold office for a term of five years from
the date on which he enters upon his office or until he attains
the age of sixty-five years whichever is earlier.
Salary, allowances and other terms
and conditions of service of Presiding Officer.—
The salary and allowances payable
to, and the other terms and conditions of service including pension,
gratuity and other retirement benefits of, the Presiding Officer
of a Cyber Appellate Tribunal shall be such as may be prescribed:
Provided that neither the salary
and allowances nor the other terms and conditions of service of
the Presiding Officers shall be varied to his disadvantage after
appointment.
Filling up of vacancies.—
If, for reason other than temporary
absence, any vacancy occurs in the office of the Presiding Officer
of a Cyber Appellate Tribunal, then the Central Government shall
appoint another person in accordance with the provisions of this
Act to fill the vacancy and the proceedings may be continued before
the Cyber Appellate Tribunal from the stage at which the vacancy
is filled.
Resignation and removal.—
(1) The Presiding Officer of a Cyber
Appellate Tribunal may, by notice in writing under his hand addressed
to the Central Government, resign his office:
Provided that the said Presiding
Officer shall, unless he is permitted by the Central Government
to relinquish his office sooner, continue to hold office until the
expiry of three months from the date of receipt of such notice or
until a person duly appointed as his successor enters upon his office
or until the expiry of his term of office, whichever is the earliest.
(2) The Presiding Officer of a Cyber
Appellate Tribunal shall not be removed from his office except by
an order by the Central Government on the ground of proved misbehaviour
or incapacity after an inquiry made by a Judge of the Supreme Court
in which the Presiding Officer concerned has been informed of the
charges against him and given a reasonable opportunity of being
heard in respect of these charges.
(3) The Central Government may, by
rules, regulate the procedure for the investigation of misbehaviour
or incapacity of the aforesaid Presiding Officer.
Orders constituting Appellate Tribunal
to be final and not to invalidate its proceedings.—
No order of the Central Government
appointing any person as the Presiding Officer of a Cyber Appellate
Tribunal shall be called in question in any manner and no act or
proceeding before a Cyber Appellate Tribunal shall be called in
question in any manner on the ground merely of any defect in the
constitution of a Cyber Appellate Tribunal.
Staff of the Cyber Appellate Tribunal.—
(1) The Central Government shall
provide the Cyber Appellate Tribunal with such officers and employees
as that Government may think fit.
(2) The officers and employees of
the Cyber Appellate Tribunal shall discharge their functions under
general superintendence of the Presiding Officer.
(3) The salaries, allowances and
other conditions of service of the officers and employees of the
Cyber Appellate Tribunal shall be such as may be prescribed by the
Central Government.
Appeal to Cyber Appellate Tribunal.—
(1) Save as provided in sub-section
(2), any person aggrieved by an order made by controller or an adjudicating
officer under this Act may prefer an appeal to a Cyber Appellate
Tribunal having jurisdiction in the matter.
(2) No appeal shall lie to the Cyber
Appellate Tribunal from an order made by an adjudicating officer
with the consent of the parties.
(3) Every appeal under sub-section
(1) shall be filed within a period of forty-five days from the date
on which a copy of the order made by the Controller or the adjudicating
officer is received by the person aggrieved and it shall be in such
form and be accompanied by such fee as may be prescribed:
Provided that the Cyber Appellate
Tribunal may entertain an appeal after the expiry of the said period
of forty-five days if it is satisfied that there was sufficient
cause for not filing it within that period.
(4)-On -receipt of an appeal under
sub-section (1), the Cyber Appellate Tribunal may, after giving
the parties to the appeal, an opportunity of being heard, pass such
orders thereon as it thinks fit, confirming, modifying or setting
aside the order appealed against.
(5) The Cyber Appellate Tribunal
shall send a copy of every order made by it to the parties to the
appeal and to the concerned Controller or adjudicating officer.
(6) The appeal filed before the
Cyber Appellate Tribunal under sub-section (1) shall be dealt with
by it as expeditiously as possible and endeavour shall be made by
it to dispose of the appeal finally within six months from the date
of receipt of the appeal.