Plea in Supreme Court challenges ‘mechanical’ internet blackout in Manipur

The plea said the shutdown infringes upon the constitutional right to access the internet.

A petition was filed in the Supreme Court against the mechanical and repeated shutdown of internet in Manipur even after an “admitted de-escalation” in violence and clashes across the State.

The plea filed by Chongtham Victor Singh, an advocate with the Manipur High Court, said the shutdown infringes upon the constitutional right to access the internet.

Also read | Three-member Commission of Inquiry to probe ethnic violence in Manipur

“The shutdown order is grossly disproportionate in its interference with the constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression and the right to carry on any trade or business using the constitutionally protected medium of the internet,” the petition, filed through advocate Shadan Farasat, submitted.

The petition said the government has declared that the State was returning to normalcy.

However, the State, on the other hand, mechanically continued to extend the internet shutdown. So far, the shutdowm has been extended over five times, between May 3 to May 26, “effectively resulting in an indefinite shutdown of the internet”.

Also read | Curfew in eight districts of Manipur, mobile internet services suspended over tribal stir