Meity Notifies Appointment Of Grievance Appellate Committees Under IT Rules, 2021

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology have notified three Grievance Appellate Committees under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (“Rules”). The Grievance Appellate Committees as envisaged under Rule 3A of the Rules were introduced vide an amendment notification dated October 28, 2022.

The Rule 3A introduced a mechanism for people aggrieved to appeal the resolution of their grievances by the grievance officers appointed by intermediaries under the Rules. Under the statute, a user aggrieved by the resolution of their grievance (by the intermediary) can approach the Grievance Appellate Committee under Rule 3A within 30 calendar days of the receipt of the communication from the officer. The Committee under the Rules have been further directed to dispose of such appeals within thirty days of their receipt. The Rules further direct the Committees to adopt an online dispute resolution mechanism wherein