The verdict on call drop compensation is finally here, with the Delhi High Court choosing to uphold TRAI’s scheme. The decision is a major win for consumers and should force telecom operators to step up their quality of service.
The latter group is probably not happy with Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath’s ruling. The judges completely dismissed the petitions filed by the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), Association of Unified Telecom Service Providers of India (AUSPI) and 21 network players such as Vodafone, Reliance and Airtel.
According to PTI, one of the main arguments against the call drop compensation scheme was that TRAI did not have the power to enforce such a system through a regulation. As per the telecom companies, the initiative was tantamount to interfering with their tariff and this can be done only via an order.
The Delhi High Court has done away with this argument by asserting that there is no dispute regarding the power of TRAI to create a regulation under section 36 of the Act keeping the interests of consumers in mind. The bench has also noted that compensation is limited to only 3 call drops and not every transgression.
Also See: Telcos demand withdrawal of TRAI’s call drop test results
The 39-page verdict also clarified that this payback will be capped at Rs 3 and is meant to recompense only the consumer who is doing the calling and not the receiver. TRAI is now free to put this plan into action whenever it chooses. It was supposed to be in place from 1 January 2016 but could not be implemented because of the ongoing court dispute.
Call drops continue to be a huge issue for people in India, with TRAI finding that a majority of network operators had failed its most recent call drop test drive.