Ban on bulk SMS, MMS extended till Sep 30

NEW DELHI - The ban on bulk SMS and MMS has been further extended till Sep 30, the ministry of communications and information technology said Friday.

The move came after the Supreme Court deferred till Sep 28 the verdict of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court in the Ayodhya case.

Extending the ban on SMS and MMS services, the ministry of communication and information technology said: “It has issued orders today (Friday) in consultation with the ministry of home affairs to all mobile telecom service providers in the country that all bulk SMS and MMS messages shall remain banned in all service areas till Sep 30.”

Earlier, the ministry had issued its order banning bulk SMS and MMS services Sep 22 shortly after the home ministry appealed to citizens, including media, to desist from reaching a hasty conclusion on the implication of the Ayodhya verdict.

Stressing the need to maintain peace ahead of the verdict, the home minister said Wednesday: “It would be inappropriate to reach any hasty conclusion that one side has won or that the other side has lost.”