Aiming at 6G

India can steer 6G standardization & become a global exporter of such technologies: DST Secretary

Union Secretary Department of Science and Technology (DST) Professor Abhay Karandikar is confident that India with its indigenous 5G technology in place, committed and dedicated team of researchers in academia, industry players and start-ups has an ecosystem to bring the country to a position of strength in terms of mobile network technologies.

“We have an opportunity to steer the 6G standardization in a way which we have not really thought of before, as well as become a global exporter of such technologies in the years to come”, Professor Karandikar said at his session on October 29 during Second International Workshop on 6G Standardization that took place as part of the Indian Mobile Congress ( IMC), which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 27, 2023.

“As you know that the 5G itself was a paradigm shift from 2G and 3G mobile networks, while 6G would be really a game changer and India presents a fertile use case scenario for influencing the 6G research and the standardization in a vastly different way”, DST Secretary added.

He pointed out that with the advent of mobile communication, India is contributing hugely to the massive escalation of global data volume and by 2030 India’s share may increase to one third or even more of the total data generated from the standard mobile communication.

“We will have a variety of use cases from very high to a very low data rate, from very stringent latency environments to latency tolerant applications, heterogeneous radio access technologies and a range of access devices. This diversity in India will be a useful test scenario for cellular mobile communications, and also devices connected through Wi -Fi, drones, satellite, terrestrial networks, sensors as well as IoT”, Professor Karandikar said.

“However, we still have a long way to go as far as research on standardization and filing patents is concerned. Also, a significant amount of work needs to be done in the core network itself. Core networks will present huge scalability challenges and to overcome this, an efficient heterogeneous radio access technology which can help pumping in large volumes of data to the core networks would be very useful”, he explained.

“The research challenges that these areas throw up, can be supported by the Department of Science and Technology through its initiatives like the National Mission for Cyber Physical Systems (NMICPS). Besides primary telephone connectivity, it can span communication in sectors of agriculture, health, transportation, logistics and so on. Besides, with the ANRF soon to be operational, some of these advanced areas can have new mechanisms of funding in place”, Professor Karandikar stressed at the IMC.

He also visited the stalls put up at the IMC by the Technology Innovation Hubs set up under NMICPS and discussed the technologies under display.

Other dignitaries from the Government, academia and the Industry like Shri Apurva Chandra, Secretary Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Shri V. Raghunandan, Secretary TRAI, Shri R K Upadhyay. C-DoT, Shri R R Mittar, Advisor, TEC attended the workshop, the different sessions and interacted about mobile network technologies, their standardization, their future and related issues during the 3 day IMC organized in New Delhi.

It may be noted that 6G is slated to pave the way for fast broadband networks powered by artificial intelligence, allowing automated infrastructure optimisation. 6G networks will offer data speeds up to 100 Gbps, almost 100 times faster than 5G, and improved network connectivity. The International Telecom Union (ITU) has backed India’s call for ubiquitous 6G coverage, ensuring that network deployments will be affordable and provide fast broadband connectivity for the masses.

Quite significantly, the Bench then hastens to add in para 7 propounding that, “This is a classic case of forum hunting by the second to fourth respondents. It transpires that notwithstanding the aforesaid relief granted on 8th May, 2023 in the Civil Writ Petition, in the petitions under Section 482 of CrPC for quashing, on 1st June, 2023 the second to fourth respondents persuaded the concerned Bench to grant relief of not taking coercive action against them.”

Most significantly, most sagaciously, most forthrightly and most commendably, the Bench minces just no words to hold unequivocally in para 8 that, “Thus, this is a case of gross abuse of process of law. We wonder how a Civil Writ Petition for clubbing First Information Reports could be entertained. In the roster notified by the Chief Justice, there is a separate roster for Criminal Writ Petitions. If the Courts allow such sharp practices, the roster notified by the Chief Justice will have no meaning. The Judges have to follow discipline and ought not to take up any case unless it is specifically assigned by the Chief Justice. A Judge can take up a case provided either the cases of that category have been assigned to him as per the notified roster or the particular case is specifically assigned by the Chief Justice. Taking up a case not specifically assigned by the Chief Justice is an act of gross impropriety. Though a Civil Writ Petition was filed, the learned Judge ought to have converted into a Criminal Writ Petition which could have been placed only before the roster Judge taking up Criminal Writ Petitions.”

Be it noted, the Bench then notes aptly in para 9 that, “We are sure that this conduct of the second to fourth respondents will be considered by the concerned Court taking up petitions under Section 482 CrPC for quashing the First Information Reports.”

It is certainly worth noting here that the Bench then deems it entirely appropriate to mandate in para 10 succinctly stating that, “This is a fit case where the second to fourth respondents must be saddled with costs. We quantify the costs amount at Rs.50,000/- (Rupees fifty thousand).”

Finally and far most significantly, the Bench then concludes by holding in para 11 that, “Hence, we allow the appeal by passing the following order:

(a) We hold that action of filing SB Civil Writ Petition No.6277 of 2023 by the second to fourth respondents was nothing but a gross abuse of process of law and it was a classic case of forum hunting;

(b) Accordingly, we dismiss SB Civil Writ Petition No.6277 of 2023. Therefore, the impugned order does not survive;

(c) We direct the second to fourth respondents to pay costs quantified at Rs.50,000/- (Rupees fifty thousand) to the Rajasthan State Legal Services Authority within a period of one month from today and to produce the receipt before this Court within a period of six weeks from today;

(d) As narrated earlier, the conduct of the second to fourth respondents shall be brought to the notice of the concerned Court which is hearing petitions under Section 482 CrPC filed by the second to fourth respondents; and

(e) We direct the Registrar (Judicial) of the Rajasthan High Court to place a copy of this order in all eight petitions under Section 482 of CrPC filed by the second to fourth respondents for quashing First Information Reports.”

All in all, we thus see that it is quite discernibly clear that the Apex Court has sent out a very loud, firm and unequivocal message to all the Judges functioning in different Courts all over the country that Judges taking up cases not assigned by the Chief Justice is an act of ‘gross impropriety’. There can be thus no gainsaying that Judges must definitely pay heed to what the Apex Court has held so decisively and sagaciously in this leading case and always refrain indubitably from taking up cases that are not assigned specifically by the Chief Justice. We ought to note that it was also clarified most clearly in this remarkable judgment that a Judge can take up a case provided either the cases of that category have been assigned to him as per the notified roster or the particular case is specifically assigned by the Chief Justice. We also ought to note that it was also made absolutely clear by the Apex Court that the Judge ought not to have entertained such a civil petition for the clubbing of the FIRs when the jurisdiction for such matters is on the criminal side. Of course, there can be just no denying or disputing it!