The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has made it compulsory for all mobile phones manufactured or imported in India to come with the Sanchar Saathi application pre-installed, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from the Congress.
Congress general secretary K C Venugopal called the directive unconstitutional and demanded its immediate rollback.
“Big Brother cannot watch us. This DoT direction is beyond unconstitutional. The Right to Privacy is an intrinsic part of the fundamental right to life and liberty, enshrined in Article 21 of the Constitution,” Venugopal said in a post on X.
He added, “A pre-loaded government app that cannot be uninstalled is a dystopian tool to monitor every Indian. It is a means to watch over every movement, interaction and decision of each citizen. This is part of the long series of relentless assaults on the Constitutional rights of Indian citizens, which will not be allowed to continue. We reject this direction and demand its immediate rollback.”
Priyanka Chaturvedi, Rajya Sabha MP from Shiv Sena (UBT), said the move is nothing but "another BIG BOSS surveillance moment".
"Such shady ways to get into individual phones will be protested and opposed & if the IT Ministry thinks that instead of creating robust redressal systems it will create surveillance systems then it should be ready for a pushback," she said.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday described it as a "snooping app" and alleged that the government is turning the country into a dictatorship.
Asked about the issue by reporters outside Parliament, she said, "You are calling it a snooping app so you know what it is. So it is a snooping app. Clearly, it is ridiculous...citizens have their right to privacy, even all of you must be having the right to privacy to send your messages to family, friends, without the government looking at everything."
"It is not just one thing, it is not just snooping on the telephones, it is overall, they are turning this country into dictatorship in every form. You ask me everyday, why Parliament is not functioning, it is not functioning as they (the government) are refusing to talk about anything," the Congress general secretary said.
She said it is very easy to blame the opposition but the government is not allowing any discussion on anything. "And that is not democracy," she alleged. "A healthy democracy demands discussions, everybody has views, you hear them out," Gandhi said. Asked whether the DoT order should be rolled back, she said, "They should do it.
The DoT directive, issued on November 28, requires that the Sanchar Saathi app be clearly visible and accessible to users during a device’s first-time setup, and that its features cannot be disabled or restricted by manufacturers.
For devices already produced and currently circulating in sales channels across the country, manufacturers and importers have been instructed to push the app through software updates. Implementation must be completed within 90 days, while a compliance report is required within 120 days.
The Sanchar Saathi initiative aims to help citizens avoid non-genuine mobile devices, simplify the reporting of suspected misuse of telecom resources, and strengthen telecom cybersecurity.
The portal and app allow users to verify the authenticity of a mobile handset using its IMEI number and provide services such as reporting suspected fraudulent communication, reporting lost or stolen phones, checking mobile connections registered under a user’s name, and accessing trusted contact details of banks or financial institutions.
The press release notes that the Telecommunication Cyber Security (TCS) Rules empower the Central Government to issue directions to manufacturers of telecommunication equipment bearing IMEI numbers, requiring them to assist in cases involving tampered devices or IMEI numbers. Manufacturers and importers must comply with these directions.
The DoT emphasised that mobile handsets with duplicate or spoofed IMEIs pose a significant threat to telecom cybersecurity, as the same IMEI can appear on multiple devices simultaneously, complicating enforcement actions.
India’s sizeable second-hand mobile device market has also seen instances of stolen or blacklisted phones being resold, exposing buyers to financial loss and potentially making them unwitting abettors in crime. Users can check whether an IMEI is blocked or blacklisted using the Sanchar Saathi app.
Venugopal also cited the DoT direction under the Telecom Cyber Security Rules, 2024 (as amended), which states: “All manufacturers and importers of mobile handsets that are intended for use in India shall submit compliance reports to the DoT within 120 days from the issuance of these directions.
Failure to comply with these directions shall attract action under the Telecommunications Act, 2023, the Telecom Cyber Security Rules, 2024 (as amended), and other applicable laws. These directions shall come into force immediately and shall remain in force until amended or withdrawn by the DoT.”
