NPCI defends MDR charges in SC, says merchants can’t pass on them to customers

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has told the Supreme Court that merchants cannot pass on Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) charges to customers under the revised UPI pricing framework.

The top court on September 28 had sought responses from the Centre and others, including the NPCI, on a petition challenging the decision to impose an MDR on specified UPI person-to-merchant transactions above Rs 2,000.