The hunt to find a new secretary for India’s broadcast and telecoms regulator TRAI has begun as the incumbent SK Gupta is slated to attain superannuation in June 2021 after a two month extension was given to him recently.

The post of secretary Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is important as the person leads most of the initiatives that the organization undertakes, though in the past chairpersons like RS Sharma and, before him, Rakesh Khullar had been active and hands-on heads of the regulatory body.

Over the last few years, under the chairmanship of Sharma and his No. 2 Gupta, TRAI had not only unveiled some important initiatives for the telecoms and broadcast sectors, but also seen through their contentious implementation.

However, the NTO.02 or the new economic regulations for the broadcast sector, that envisioned sweeping changes in the way the sector functioned, has been mired in legal controversies that has effectively put it in a limbo.

The Bombay High Court, which is hearing a petition against NTO 2.0’s implementation, is yet to come out with its final order on the case. Both the respondent (TRAI) and the petitioners (the broadcasters) have urged the Mumbai court to expedite the case.

TRAI secretary Gupta, who has a telecoms background and has held the post since 2017, was also involved in several other recommendations of the regulator, including easing of restrictions on foreign satellites, telecom infrastructure sharing, mobile portability, net neutrality, data ownership, privacy and security and a suggested restructuring of the audience measurement system in India and the organization that presently undertakes the task, Broadcast Audience Research Council India.

Sources close to Gupta hinted that he was not interested in seeking other postings at TRAI or looking at other post-retirement assignments in the short term.