Jyotiraditya Scindia defends Sanchar Saathi as voluntary amid backlash over pre-installation order

Union Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday clarified that the Sanchar Saathi mobile application--at the centre of a growing privacy debate--is “completely democratic and fully voluntary,” asserting that the app activates only after users choose to register.

Scindia said users can install the app at their convenience to access its benefits and are free to deactivate or delete it at any time. He added that Sanchar Saathi was designed to “empower every mobile user.”

His remarks come days after the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) issued a direction requiring manufacturers and importers of mobile handsets for the Indian market to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app under the Telecom Cyber Security framework. The DoT also instructed that the app must be visible and accessible during first-time device setup and its core functionalities must not be disabled.

The mandate triggered a sharp pushback from opposition parties and civil society groups, who flagged privacy concerns and pointed to app-store listings showing requests for permissions such as call logs, messages, camera access and network information. Critics argued that making the app initially non-removable could give the government undue visibility into personal devices.

What Sanchar Saathi does

Developed by the DoT, Sanchar Saathi enables users to verify the authenticity of mobile handsets using IMEI numbers, report fraud communications, check mobile connections registered in their name, and report lost or stolen devices. It also provides trusted contact details for banks and financial institutions.

The government has argued that devices with spoofed or duplicate IMEIs pose serious telecom security risks, allowing the same IMEI to appear simultaneously on different devices and complicating enforcement actions. Officials also point to India’s large second-hand device market, where stolen or blacklisted phones are sometimes resold, putting unsuspecting buyers at legal and financial risk. The app allows users to check whether an IMEI has been blocked.

Adoption and impact

According to official figures, Sanchar Saathi has recorded over 21.5 crore portal visits and 1.4 crore app downloads. The platform has enabled citizens to disconnect 1.43 crore mobile connections by marking them as “Not My Number,” helped trace 26 lakh lost or stolen devices with 7.23 lakh returned to users, and facilitated the disconnection of 40.96 lakh fraudulent connections. The system has also blocked 6.2 lakh fraud-linked IMEIs and prevented an estimated Rs 475 crore in potential financial losses through its Financial Fraud Risk Indicator.