Department of Telecom to Talk to UIDAI, Telcos on Compliance With Aadhaar Verdict

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) would talk to Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and telecom operators to make sure telecom regulations and service providers are in compliance with the Supreme Court verdict on Aadhaar, said DoT Secretary Aruna Sundararajan on Thursday.

In its ruling, the Supreme Court on Wednesday said telecom subscribers do not need to link their mobile numbers with Aadhaar. Though the Supreme Court bench upheld the constitutional validity of Aadhaar, struck down Section 57 of the Aadhaar Act, disallowing private entities from possessing Aadhaar numbers of individuals. The judgement, thus, bars telecom companies and online wallet services from seeking the unique identity number of consumers.

"We will be sitting in the coming days with the Aadhaar authorities and the TSPs (telecom service providers) to make sure we are in complete compliance with the Supreme Court order," Sundararajan said.

The department would also take legal advice to understand how to go ahead in terms of compliance with the judgement, she added.