New Delhi: The Centre on Monday informed the Supreme Court that an effective identification mechanism will be put in place within a year to ensure 100 per cent verification of mobile phone subscribers, including all prepaid ones through Aadhar card.
Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi made this submission before a Bench of Chief justice J.S. Khehar and Justice N.V. Ramana, hearing a PIL seeking a fool-proof mechanism of subscribers with regard to their identity, their addresses and ensuring that no fake or unverified identities should be accepted while issuing SIM cards. The AG told the bench that an application form will be required to be filled up by new mobile subscribers through the e-KYC process being followed now. So far as existing subscribers are concerned, 90 per cent are prepaid and for them also a system will be devised to put in place a mechanism similar to one already adopted. Furnishing of Aadhar number will be made mandatory and the process will be completed within a year.
Placing on record the submissions of the AG, the bench disposed of the PIL filed by Lok Niti Foundation, expressing concern over the possibility of cellphones being misused to perpetuate frauds of all sorts.
