Airtel and Coai fined Rs 50 lakhs for unsolicited calls, SMSes

The Delhi State Consumer Commission has imposed an exemplary fine of Rs 50 lakhs on telecom company Airtel and the Cellular Operators Association of India (Coai) for their "failure" to stop "unnerving unsolicited" calls and SMSes by telemarketing and banking companies to mobile users.

Delhi State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission headed by Justice J D Kapoor also imposed a penalty of Rs 12.5 lakh each on ICICI and the American Express Bank for causing "immense nuisance" by making unsolicited communications such as SMSes and telemarketing calls at odd hours to cellular users.

"These damages are being imposed because of 'care-a-fig for' attitude of cellular operators and telemarketers and their having continued to indulge in making unsolicited commercial communications such as SMSes, telemarketing calls etc at odd hours.

"And thereby causing immense nuisance inspite of the act they were issued notice by the Supreme Court in a PIL in 2003 and orders passed by this commission from time to time for not indulging in such practices," said Justice Kapoor.