DoT stopped eKYC for SIM using Aadhaar

The Department of Telecom (DoT) on Thursday said that e-KYC system to register customers using Aadhaar have been stopped following the Supreme Court judgement.

This means that mobile service providers and other private entities cannot ask for Aadhaar for customer registration.

The DoT is likely to come out with an alternative for digital verification e-KYC soon, said an official in the DOT.

Telecom operators need to go back to the old method of subscriber registration or there can be another way for eKYC, said an official.

"We will meet UIDAI, law ministry official and telecom service providers (TSPs) to make sure we are in compliance with the SC order and to see a way forward. eKYC using Aadhaar has been stopped by (the) Supreme Court," Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan told reporters.

However, the telecom industry sources said that since all telecom operators have moved completely to e-Know Your Customer system to verify customers using Aadhaar, it will be very challenging to them to acquire new customers in absence of the system.

The apex court while holding Aadhaar scheme as constitutionally valid struck down section 57 of the Aadhaar Act, permitting private entities to avail Aadhaar data.