VoxJuris
Home › Acts › Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 › Chapter II › Section 4

Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 · Chapter II: Privileges and Powers of the Government

Section 4: Exclusive privilege in respect of telegraphs, and power to grant licenses

The Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 was repealed by the Telecommunications Act, 2023 (from 26 June 2024; Part III still applies to transmission lines under the Electricity Act, 2003). The text is kept here because the judgments below apply it.

[(1)] Within [India], the Central Government shall have the exclusive privilege of establishing, maintaining and working telegraphs:

Provided that the Central Government may grant a license, on such conditions and in consideration of such payments as it thinks fit, to any person to establish, maintain or work a telegraph within any part of [India]:

[Provided further that the Central Government may, by rules made under this Act and published in the Official Gazette, permit, subject to such restrictions and conditions as it thinks fit, the establishment, maintenance and working—

(a) of wireless telegraphs on ships within Indian territorial waters [and on aircraft within or above [India], or Indian territoral waters], and

(b) of telegraphs other than wireless telegraphs within any part of [India].]

[Explanation.— The payments made for the grant of a licence under this subsection shall include such sum attributable to the Universal Service Obligation as may be determined by the Central Government after considering the recommendation made in this behalf by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India established under sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997 (24 of 1997).]

[(2) The Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, delegate to the telegraph authority all or any of its powers under the first proviso to sub-section (1).

The exercise by the telegraph authority of any power so delegated shall be subject to such restrictions and conditions as the Central Government may, by the notification, think fit to impose.]

[(3) Any person who is granted a license under the first proviso to sub-section (1) to establish, maintain or work a telegraph within any part of India, shall identify any person to whom it provides its services by—

(a) authentication under the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016 (18 of 2016); or

(b) offline verification under the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016 (18 of 2016); or

(c) use of passport issued under section 4 of the PassportsAct, 1967 (15 of 1967); or

(d) use of any other officially valid document or modes of identification as may be notified by the Central Government in thisbehalf.

(4) If any person who is granted a license under the first proviso to sub-section (1) to establish, maintain or work a telegraph within any part of India is using authentication under clause (a) of sub-section (3) to identify any person to whom it provides its services, it shall make the other modes of identification under clauses (b) to (d) of sub-section (3) also available to such person.

(5) The use of modes of identification under sub-section (3) shall be a voluntary choice of the person who is sought to be identified and no person shall be denied any service for not having an Aadhaar number.

(6) If, for identification of a person, authentication under clause (a) of sub-section (3) is used, neither his core biometric information northeAadhaar number of the person shall be stored.

(7) Nothing contained in sub-sections (3), (4) and (5) shall prevent the Central Government from specifying further safeguards and conditions for compliance by any person who is granted a license under the first proviso to sub-section (1) in respect of identification of person to whom it provides its services.

Explanation.— The expressions "Aadhaar number" and "core biometric information" shall have the same meanings as are respectively assigned to them in clauses (a) and (j) of section 2 of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016 (18 of 2016).]

Source: India Code (indiacode.gov.in), the consolidated text published by the Legislative Department, Government of India. Text as updated on India Code on 15 October 2026. Words in square brackets [ ] were inserted or substituted by later amending Acts, and *** marks words omitted by an amendment. The amendment footnotes are not reproduced here. Official text on India Code.

Supreme Court judgments citing the section 4