3 weeks ago
BSNL ordered to pay compensation for retired engineer's landline disconnection
An 83-year-old man named Bharat Bhushan Bharmera used to work for a telephone company called BSNL.
When he retired after almost 38 years, the company promised him a free phone line for life.
In May 2024, BSNL cut off his phone line, saying he owed a small amount of money, just Rs 837.
He paid the money in May 2025 after a legal help center stepped in.
But BSNL still did not turn his phone back on, saying the old copper wires were outdated and he needed a new fiber connection.
A special court called the Consumer Commission said this was not fair.
They said BSNL should have told him about the changes and offered options before cutting his phone.
The court ordered BSNL to pay him Rs 15,000 and turn his phone back on within 30 days.
If BSNL refuses, it must pay him Rs 1,000 every month until the phone works again.
The man is bedridden and used this phone for emergencies, so the court said BSNL caused him a lot of worry.
The court also said companies cannot use new rules to take away promises they already made to retired workers.
The Kangra District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Himachal Pradesh ordered BSNL to pay Rs 15,000 compensation to 83-year-old retired engineer Bharat Bhushan Bharmera.
Bharmera's rent-free landline was disconnected in May 2024 over alleged unpaid dues of Rs 837, despite his entitlement to a rent-free connection with 325 free calls monthly.
He cleared the dues on May 3, 2025 after District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) intervention, but BSNL still did not restore the connection, citing obsolete copper infrastructure.
The commission called BSNL's technological-obsolescence defence unacceptable, ruling the firm failed to prove it had closed the copper exchange or notified the consumer before disconnection.
BSNL must restore the connection within 30 days or pay an additional Rs 1,000 per month until restoration, with the commission finding the January 19, 2024 circular only prospective in nature.
The commission held that an 83-year-old bedridden super senior citizen relying on the landline for emergencies suffered severe mental agony, concluding BSNL's actions amounted to deficiency in service.
BSNL had argued Bharmera was not a 'consumer' due to the rent-free facility, but the commission said he remained liable for charges and qualified under the Consumer Protection Act.
The commission ruled BSNL should have informed Bharmera of infrastructure changes and offered alternatives under its circular before disconnecting service.
Aggrieved consumers were reminded they can contact state consumer helplines or the National Consumer Helpline at 1915 for assistance.
The commission's order came on July 20 and rejected BSNL's claim that the copper network's obsolescence justified denying the promised retirement benefit.
- Who
- Bharat Bhushan Bharmera, an 83-year-old retired BSNL sub-divisional engineer, and BSNL, with the Kangra District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission ruling on the case.
- What
- The consumer commission ordered BSNL to pay Rs 15,000 compensation for illegally keeping Bharmera's landline disconnected for over two years and to restore the connection within 30 days.
- Where
- Kangra District, Himachal Pradesh, India.
- When
- The landline was disconnected in May 2024; dues were paid on May 3, 2025; the commission delivered its order on July 20.
- Why
- BSNL disconnected the connection over alleged unpaid dues of Rs 837, failed to restore it after payment, and cited obsolete copper infrastructure, which the commission deemed a deficiency in service causing mental agony to a bedridden senior citizen.
Consumer/Commission's Position
BSNL's Position
Technological obsolescence
Consumer/Commission's Position
Citing obsolete copper infrastructure to deny a retirement promise is unacceptable; consumers must be informed in advance and offered alternatives before disconnection.
BSNL's Position
The copper network had become obsolete, so BSNL could not restore the copper-based landline and instead offered GSM fixed wireless or concessional FTTH connections.
Consumer status under the law
Consumer/Commission's Position
Bharmera remained liable to pay charges whenever demanded and had paid the raised dues, so he still qualified as a consumer under the Consumer Protection Act.
BSNL's Position
Bharmera was not a consumer because he enjoyed a rent-free telephone facility and could not insist on restoring the old connection on earlier concessional terms.
Applicability of the January 19, 2024 circular
Consumer/Commission's Position
The circular was prospective and could not be used to withdraw benefits already promised to retired employees at the time of retirement.
BSNL's Position
The circular allowed retired employees to opt for either a GSM fixed wireless or concessional FTTH connection, so restoration of the old landline was not required.
Key facts
- Compensation ordered
- Rs 15,000
- Monthly penalty for non-compliance
- Rs 1,000 per month
- Alleged unpaid dues
- Rs 837
- Date of disconnection
- May 2024
- Date dues were cleared
- May 3, 2025
- Restoration deadline
- Within 30 days of the order
- Complainant
- Bharat Bhushan Bharmera, 83-year-old retired BSNL Sub-Divisional Engineer (nearly 38 years of service)
- Commission
- Kangra District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Himachal Pradesh
- Monthly free calls entitlement
- 325 calls
Quotes
Himachal Pradesh Consumer Commission president Hemanshu Mishra
President of the Kangra District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission
“Citing technological obsolescence to deny what was promised at the time of retirement is not acceptable…The failure of the opposite party (BSNL) to provide a valid justification for denying service to an 83-year-old employee, who is later become consumer of the opposite party, despite a clear policy, shows intent to harass.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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