On Day 33 of the Aadhaar hearings, the Supreme Court had clarified that it did not order the mandatory linking of the Aadhaar card with SIM cards. However, telecom companies have been pestering consumers to link their SIMs with their Aadhaar number regardless.

A woman speaks on her smartphone. Image: Reuters

According to a previous , no such order was passed by the Supreme Court during the hearing of the Lokniti Foundation Case. The Court also said that it did not order for re-verification of the SIM cards by linking it with the Aadhaar number. Aadhaar was just one of the many verification options, but in its communication, the state took it to mean as the 'only' means of verification.

According to a Times of India (TOI) , people have been receiving requests from telecom operators requesting them to link their mobile phone numbers with their Aadhaar numbers. Additionally, people have been rejected from buying SIM cards or porting their numbers if they do not adhere to the demand which is Aadhaar-SIM linking.

Speaking to TOI, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) director Rajan S Mathews said that the Supreme Court order has only extended the date of verification and has not stopped the verification process. He defended the telecom operators and said that they were only following the guidelines set by the telecom ministry, therefore the operators are sending SMSs, emails for linking of SIMs with Aadhaar cards.

He also said that since the Court did not fix the last date for re-verification, telcos will continue to send reminders.