Strict Verification of Mobile Sim Card Holders

Instances of violation of guidelines for subscriber verification by Service Provider including sale of pre-activated SIM Card, sale of SIM Cards on fake Pol/PoA documents etc. have been reported from different parts of the country. As and when such instances come to notice, Ministry of Home Affairs reports the same to Department of Telecom for corrective measures/action. Licence agreement for UASL/CMTS mandates that "The licensee shall ensure adequate verification of each and every customer before enrolling him as a subscriber” Department of Telecom being the licensor all the telecom services, issues necessary instructions to service providers from time in this regard. TERM CelIs are carrying out random sample CAF verification on periodic basis and in non-compliant cases, penalty is imposed on the Telecom Service Provider (TSP) apart from provision for subscriber disconnection. In order to deal with the issue of forged documents for obtaining mobile connections, the Department of Telecom has issued directions to lodge complaints/FIR against customer/ Franchisee /Service provider, under law of the land. Law Enforcement Agencies (LEA) suo-moto can also register a case/FIR under relevant provisions of CrPC/IPC etc.

As per directions contained in the judgment and order dated 27.4.2012 by the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India, DoT has issued a new instructions on verification of New Mobile Subscribers (Prepaid & Post¬ paid) vide its communication No. 800¬-09/2010-VAS dated August 09, 2012, which are in effect since 09.11.2012. Approximately, 10714 complaints/ FIRs have been lodged with Police till 31.10.2012 in respect of cases wherein forged documents have been found. Out of these, 8786 cases are against subscribers who were found to be involved in forgery.

This was stated by Shri R.P.N.Singh, Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs in written reply to a question by Shri Bharatsinh Prabhatsinh Parmar, Shri Mansukh L. Mandaviya and Shri Parshottam Khodabhai Rupala in the Rajya Sabha today.

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KSD/Samir