The Delhi High Court agreed to hear urgently on Friday a petition against the government’s decision to impose an internet shutdown within 1.5 km of Jantar Mantar. The matter came before a bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia.
This comes a day after mobile internet services were suspended in parts of central Delhi until midnight in a 1.5 km radius of Jantar Mantar. Internet restrictions in parts of the city, particularly in and around Jantar Mantar area where the Sarsour Janta Party is staging a protest, have added to the difficulties faced by residents and commuters.
On Thursday, the internet was shut down after a scuffle between some protesters at around 8.15-8.30am following a scuffle. Some of them allegedly threw stones at the police, wounding at least one official, and then moved toward police barriers. The police then started a lathi drive to control the crowd and fired tear gas.
Minutes later, an HT reporter on site received a text message about internet shutdown from the service provider. “The government has asked telecom service providers to shut down the internet in the central Delhi area. Except for the order received for 1.5 km surrounding Jantar Mantar, from 6 pm to 6 am tomorrow,” two industry people familiar with the matter said.
The Internet was cut off during the protest march
The union government also suspended mobile internet services during the CJP’s protest march to Parliament on July 20 (Monday), affecting parts of central Delhi, including the Jantar Mantar area, until 6 pm, as thousands gathered for the march.
This order has been sent to telecom service providers (TSPs) such as Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea, people familiar with the matter said. Two major transport providers have confirmed they have received official directions to suspend services. However, there was no confirmation of which government department issued the official orders.
The demonstrators complained about the interruption of Internet services in parts of central Delhi since 10 am, and many users received messages informing them of the interruption. It read: “In accordance with government instructions, internet services in your area have been suspended until further notice. REGINF.”
