On Wednesday, the Delhi High Court declined to issue orders for the removal of the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system from emergency calls.

The division bench, comprising acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora, highlighted that the IVR serves as a filtration system to distinguish between pranks and unintended calls. They noted that, while the IVR system might not be flawless, it currently stands as the most effective option available.

The bench further emphasized that directing emergency calls directly to an executive would have serious implications, as it would necessitate a substantial increase in manpower.

“Let the situation stabilise a bit. Your suggestions may be for a perfect system but your request will have unintended effects. The system will collapse. The best cannot be the enemy of the good… The system today may not be perfect but is the best and we can live with the best,” the Court remarked.

Additionally, the court stated its intention to issue a detailed order and resolve the plea. The matter was brought before the court through a public interest litigation (PIL) initiated by Ganga Saran. Advocate Deepti Gupta represented the petitioner and contended that the IVR system in emergency calls poses a hindrance to urgent situations. Gupta argued that globally, the standard practice is for such calls to be answered directly by executives.

Gupta further argued that there are instances where children or visually impaired individuals make emergency calls, making it impossible for them to comply with IVR instructions. Delhi Government Standing Counsel Santosh Kumar Tripathi informed the bench that the emergency call centers receive more than 8.2 lakh calls daily, out of which only 17,000 are deemed genuine emergencies.