The report says the plea seeks to have Prasar Bharti enabled to show selected matches - and, in its broader form, all 104 matches of the tournament. That is an ambitious ask.
At the heart of it is a simple question:
That argument is not unique to football. Across world sport, the tension between exclusive rights deals and universal access keeps returning. The difference here is timing: this challenge appears to have arrived well before the tournament, which is due to begin on 11 June.
For football, wider access is never just about one month of television. Public broadcast can shape who watches, who follows, and who stays with the sport after the final.
A World Cup reaches beyond established fans:
That matters in a market like India, where football interest is real but the sport still fights for mainstream space against deeper-established rivals.
The report says the court also raised whether the matter should be treated as a public interest litigation. That could prove central. If the case is framed around rights access rather than a private commercial grievance, its significance stretches beyond one competition.
The next step is clear: the matter is reportedly due back on 20 May. From there, the key storyline will be whether the court leans toward limited public access for marquee matches or entertains the much bigger question of World Cup coverage as a public good.