Supreme Interventions

The Supreme Court needs to get involved to make sure that no cellphones are used in jails and that telemarketers don't bug us. Sigh !

If you are constantly troubled by unsolicited marketing calls trying to sell you a credit card or a loan without collateral, you may have some cause to cheer.

The Supreme Court on Monday issued notices to the Centre and all cellular operators and multinational banks, on a public interest litigation, seeking a law to ban uncalled for calls. Cellular operators are also in support of a total ban on marketing calls and want a legislation on it.

Marketing firms are increasingly using subscribers data and calling them to sell their products. More than 70% of such calls made are for selling credit cards. Currently, there is no legislation that protects the privacy of telephone subscribers.

A bench comprising Justice N Santosh Hegde and Justice SB Sinha issued a notice to as many as 11 respondents on the PIL, which termed this as an invasion of privacy and a violation of the right to live a peaceful life.

Those to whom notices were issued are the Union government, law and justice ministry, MTNL, cellular operators (Hutch, Reliance, Idea, Bharti) and multinational banks like Citibank, HSBC, Standard Chartered, HDFC and ICICI.

Unwanted calls have become a menace and subscribers have to face a lot of trouble. We would fully cooperate with all the authorities to keep a check on such calls, TV Ramachandran of the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) told ET.

- An article from the Economic Times.

I usually try to be nice to all sales people - tele or otherwise - since I myself am a salesperson. But last week I got pissed off too with a persistent telemarketer.

She called me a began in a soft and gentle manner: " Good Afternoon, my name is abc, calling from xyz club, am I speaking to Mr. Anish ? " Since I can smell these things coming, I said you have the right person but sorry I wasn't interested ( in a club membership ). When she persisted, I disconnected as I was right in the middle of something at that moment - there was no point trying to be nice and offering a logical explanation anymore. She called me back immediately from the same number and I disconnected the call - when she called me a third time I picked it up, only because for a moment I thought, I could have made a wrong assumption and it might be the receptionist of the club trying to connect me someone who works there - it might be a business call !

So, I picked up the call and she says " Sir, are you not interested in a free dinner ....? " I didn't say a word but disconnected !

I could have easily repeated the words of Manfred the Mamoth directed towards Sid the Sloth, in Ice Age:

" Don't you have anyone else to annoy ? Friends... Family ? Poisonous Reptiles, may be ? "