New Delhi, December 22: After UIDAI showed red eye and suspended Airtel and Airtel Payments Bank's eKYC Licence, the company has knee downed before the Aadhaar strong decision and has payed Rs 2.5 Cr as an 'interim penalty'.
It was the strongest action taken by the Aadhaar body taken on the grounds of allegations of using the Aadhaar-eKYC based SIM verification process to open payments bank accounts of its subscribers without their informed consent.
The company is learnt to have given the assurance that it will return Rs 190 crore that had flown into the 'unsolicited' payments bank accounts of 31 lakh mobile subscribers over the next 24 hours and will also inform the customers that their subsidy-linked account is being switched back to the originally-chosen account.
Aritel has also stated that all 31 lakh customers will be intimated by it that their subsidy money is being transferred to the originally-chosen accounts and that henceforth such money will flow into those designated accounts.
Once the entire process is complete, Airtel will be required to report to the UIDAI with compliance and the authority will take "appropriate view" on the matter at that stage.
Airtel, yesterday, wrote to the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) promising to return Rs 190 crore (along with interest) to the consumers' original bank accounts that were linked to the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).