Plea in HC for not blocking incoming facilities on mobile for non-payment during COVID-19 pandemic

A PIL has been filed by a law student in the Delhi High Court seeking directions to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to ensure telecom companies do not block incoming services on mobile for non-payment during COVID-19 pandemic. The matter is listed for hearing on Friday.

New Delhi: A plea has been moved in the Delhi High Court seeking directions to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to ensure telecom companies do not block incoming services on a subscriber's number during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The PIL by a law student has contended that telecom companies action of blocking incoming calls and messages on account of failure to recharge subscription is causing grave hardship to people who cannot afford to spend money on that in the prevailing circumstances.

"Forcing a person amid financial crunches to recharge their subscription out of limited resources they are left with in order to prevent the blocking of incoming call and incoming message causes grave prejudice to them," the petition by law student Priyatam Bhardwaj said.

He said that he had made representations to the TRAI and DoT in May with regard to not blocking incoming facilities on a mobile number during COVID-19 pandemic.

While no response was received from TRAI, the DoT said it will consider the proposal, but no steps have been taken till date, the plea said.

The petition also seeks directions to the telecom service providers (TSPs), like Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone, to restore incoming services on numbers which they had blocked for non-payment of subscription during COVID-19 pandemic.

The matter is listed for hearing on Friday before a bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan.

PTI