In a significant ruling for telecom consumers, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Shimla has ordered Bharti Airtel to refund a user’s recharge amount and pay Rs 5,000 in compensation. The decision came after a subscriber paid for high-speed 5G services but was left with a barely functioning “E” (Edge) mobile network signal.
The bench, consisting of Commission President Baldev Singh and member Nidhi Sharma, ruled on June 10 that the telecom provider’s actions amounted to a “deficiency in service and unfair trade practice.”
A Frustrated Switch to Prepaid
The dispute began with complainant Arun Jaryal, an Airtel postpaid user who had been experiencing persistent internet connectivity problems since June 22, 2024. Despite lodging multiple complaints with Bharti Airtel Limited and receiving temporary troubleshooting attempts from the company, the network issues remained entirely unresolved.
Hoping for a fresh start, Jaryal migrated his connection from a postpaid plan to a prepaid billing plan in July 2024. On July 7, 2024, he recharged his SIM card with a payment of Rs 592.32 specifically to access Airtel’s high-speed 5G internet services.
However, the connectivity failed to improve. Instead of displaying a active 5G icon on his screen, Jaryal’s mobile phone continuously showed the “E” symbol—indicating an outdated, slow Edge signal.
Despite multiple subsequent emails, phone calls, and direct visits to the local telecom office, customer support representatives only offered assurances before eventually closing his complaint and instructing him to raise the issue through an official appeal.
The Telecom Giant’s Defense: An Incompatible Handset
In court, Bharti Airtel vigorously contested the consumer’s allegations. Represented by advocate Kumar Kaustubh, the company argued that Jaryal’s claims of a non-functional network were false and baseless.
Airtel’s primary defense rested on the customer’s hardware. According to the company, Jaryal was using a Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro Max—a device they asserted is 4G-only and lacks the internal physical hardware required to connect to 5G infrastructure.
The company maintained that network performance is heavily dictated by device-side hardware defects, software glitches, or handset malfunctions, all of which fall entirely outside the operational control of a telecom network provider.
The Court’s Verdict: No Inspection, No Justification
In its ruling, the Consumer Commission looked past the technical arguments, identifying a fundamental flaw in the service provider’s conduct.
The bench highlighted that Airtel had never actually conducted a physical or personal inspection of Jaryal’s handset to substantiate their claim that it was incompatible with 5G services. Jaryal, meanwhile, maintained in his rejoinder that his device was indeed 5G compatible.
More importantly, the court pointed out that if Airtel was fully aware that the customer’s phone could not support 5G, they had an ethical and operational duty not to accept his money for that service.
“When it was in the knowledge of the company that the handset of the complainant is not compatible for 5G internet services, then the company should not have allowed the complainant to recharge for 5G internet services against the amount of Rs 592.32,” the Commission stated in its June 10 order.
The bench concluded that the recharge amount should have been instantly refunded as soon as the incompatibility was identified. By failing to do so and closing the user’s complaints, the court ruled that Airtel had committed a clear service deficiency.
Bharti Airtel has been ordered to issue a full refund of the Rs 592.32 recharge and pay Rs 5,000 to Jaryal to compensate for the ordeal.
