Telcos says that they were merely following guidelines set by the DoT for Aadhaar-SIM linking

In response to the Supreme Court mandate which said that it never ordered re-verification of mobile phone numbers with the help of Aadhaar numbers, the telcos in their defence came out to say that they have been following the guidelines set by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).[caption id="attachment_4331399" align="alignleft" width="380"] Representational image. CNN News18[/caption]According to a previous report, it was revealed that despite no orders for linking, telcos have been reportedly sending reminders to its subscribers via SMS or e-mails.On day 33 of the Aadhaar hearings when senior counsel, Rakesh Dwivedi reiterated certain orders and recommendation which suggested Aadhaar-SIM linking, the SC denied any such order passed in the Lokniti foundation case.Later Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) head Rajan Mathews said that the SC never said that re-verification must be halted, instead, it had extended the date of re-verification indefinitely. Therefore, the telcos have been sending email/SMS to consumers. He also said that the telcos under the Telegraph Act of 1885 are mandated to observe all reasonable directions issued by the DoT.According to a report by the Economic Times, people have been receiving emails/SMS from telcos to verify their mobile numbers with Aadhaar card. Those who want to port their numbers or buy a new SIM have been asked to link their Aadhaar number for verification.Currently, the Supreme Court is hearing petitions related to the Aadhaar to decide the validity of the Aadhaar number and the laws surrounding it.